Wild dreaming
by animefreak1
Summary: Revised up to chapter 10, for mistakes and incoherencies...the rest of the chapters, I owe you...
1. Mixed Bizness

Revised version. Please R+R. I don't own these characters   


Wild Dreaming   
by animefreak   
  


Friday. 

It was a very cold day, which wasn't an unusual event at this time of the year, so near Christmas. Kinomoto Sakura waved excitedly to her father and her ever frowning brother through the bus window. By her side sat a dark haired girl with her customary digital camera in hand, her dearest childhood friend, Daidouji Tomoyo, recording every second of her best friend's life with a delighted squeal. Such a treat to be able to immortalize their senior year school trip, she thought. She couldn't hide the ecstatic grin on her face when she thought of Sakura, wearing something stunning from the amazing wardrobe she had spent weeks putting together for her to wear on this trip...and she was getting everything on tape! 

Besides, there were bound to be some interesting developments throughout this trip. Tomoyo cast a quick glance at Sakura fighting with her brother through the window over something silly, and then to the quiet one sitting behind them. He seemed lost in thought, amber eyes fixed in an invisible spot outside his window, the traditional frown knitting his brow. Li Syaoran. He didn't even seem to notice the schoolbus take off, or his loud classmates chattering with one another. The trip through the frozen mountains was completely uneventful. So much even Tomoyo put her camera away for a while. 

One of the kids pulled out a guitar and everybody started singing along to the very popular tune he started playing. Even Tomoyo, who kept nudging Sakura to make her sing as well, to which she replied gesturing helplessly through the loud racket that she didn't know the lyrics. Tomoyo clicked her tongue in mock exasperation and continued to gaily sing along, as Sakura shifted comfortably on her seat to get a better view of her classmates making complete fools out of themselves. She didn't notice the pensive teen sitting directly behind her, fingers running idly through his messy chestnut hair. Something obvious was on his mind, judging from his troubled expression and the surreptitious glances he kept throwing the lovely teen sitting in front of him, as she began to doze off... 

***** 

The snow covered landscape before them was awfully familiar. They had been here before many many years ago, in an almost fateful school trip where Sakura almost lost her life. She hardly thought about it right now, excited as she was about everything around her. Syaoran allowed himself a little smirk at the sight of her glittering emerald green eyes taking in everything as if it was the first time. That was just the way she was. Only one of the thousand reasons he could think of why she was so beautiful. 

Tomoyo was currently busy switching tapes, afraid to miss any action, while Sakura complained at how heavy the suitcase Tomoyo had carefully packed up for her was. By the time they finished settling in it was already dark, so everybody gathered at the dining room, where the teacher in charge tried to explain the activities for the weekend through the loud noise of the chattering kids. 

Across the table from Sakura and Tomoyo sat Syaoran, quietly having his dinner as if he was alone in the world. Sakura noticed this, eyes narrowing in slight concern. Something was up with him. But she wouldn't ask. She had learned this throughout their many years of friendship. It would only bother or embarrass him if she did. If he wanted to spit it out, he would come around on his own. The whole thought drifted blissfully off her mind as one of her classmates began telling a story about something funny that had happened to his mother in the supermarket the day before. It wasn't so long before everyone started yawning and the sensei suggested that everyone went to sleep, for tomorrow they had a very busy day. Everyone started getting up from their chairs, calling their roommates to sleep already. Daidouji Tomoyo and Kinomoto Sakura waved everyone good bye, and left for their room chatting and laughing. Li Syaoran got up from his chair and went off with them, since his room was next door to theirs. None of them were aware of the womanlike shadow that lurked in the dark corners, seemingly following the three tired teens. 

***** 

That night, Sakura found it hard to fall asleep. Every time she started to drift off, something seemed to make her open her eyes again. So she got up from bed, slipped her feet into her fuzzy slippers and went out. She seemed to know exactly where she wanted to go. She stopped in front of the neighbor door and quietly entered the unlocked room. 

Lying in bed, asleep and shirtless, was Li Syaoran. She smirked impishly before she approached him, casting an appreciative glance at him. She untied the knot on the sash of her robe, and padded silently over to the window, to close the curtains, making enough noise for him to grumble slightly, letting her know that he was waking up. She lost her robe, and sat on his stomach, all in a swift and graceful move. By this time he was fully awake and growling menacingly at the intruder. She grabbed his wrists and forced them against the bed. He sort of understood that this wasn't likely to be an enemy out to kill him, judging from the delicate and sweet scent that seemed to fill the whole room, and the softness of warm skin against his own. His eyes grew wide in disbelief as the actions from the intruder got bolder and bolder. Somehow, he wasn't refusing her advances, more like beginning to enjoy them. He even didn't give a damn about who she was anymore. She noticed he wasn't trying to force his wrists free anymore, and smiled at the realization. He wanted this to happen as much as she did. She then kissed him, and her eyes flew open at the unexpectedly passionate and almost hungry response. 

She released his wrists as he began trying to free them again, just to be able to touch her and maybe return at least a fraction of the feelings she was arousing within him. He quickly flipped her over, pinning her down against the mattress, hands all over her. He ran a hair through her now damp hair and noticed it was shortish. He thought for a second about how that could be a clue to who this irresistible stranger could possibly be, but it left his mind almost immediately. He grabbed a fistful of her silk nightgown, feeling about ready to rip it off of her, when she stopped him. He blinked in shock. She wasn't going to back out now, was she? 

She then threw him a sultry smile, as if he could see her, and got a hold on the girdle of his sweatpants, slipping a mischievous hand down his thigh, inside of his pants, making him gasp...just as a gust of wind hit the heavy curtains, allowing a beam of moonlight in the room for the briefest of seconds. Long enough, however, to let Syaoran have the shock of a lifetime. The mysterious stranger was indeed beautiful Sakura! 

***** 

Sakura's eyes snapped open as she bolted upright on her bed, clamping a trembling hand against her mouth when a yelp escaped from her throat. Her hair was damp, her breathing uneven, her heart pounding wildly within her chest, threatening to jump out. She cast a quick look to Tomoyo's bed to check if she was still asleep. Sakura sighed softly in utter relief, not feeling like explaining the reason for the rude awakening she'd just had to her best friend. Her eyes went wide in astonishment as a deep red blush crept up her cheeks. She couldn't believe the dream she'd just had. She felt like digging a hole on the ground and sticking her head in it. She'd never had a dream like this before. About anyone. And the last thing she would have possibly fathomed was that she would be having these kind of dreams about...Syaoran. She grabbed a fistful of her pyjamas on her chest, as if that would steady her heartbeat. She just couldn't shake the feeling of disbelief and embarrassment off. 

At the very same time, Li Syaoran jumped up from his bed, hands clutching the bed sheets. He could feel his whole body shaking from the loud thud deep inside his chest. He too clamped his hand to his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut. He felt like such a pervert. He didn't understand where that line of thinking came from. About Sakura? It couldn't have been conscious. He had admitted to himself that he loved her long ago, and his feelings for her were so pure he hadn't even dared confess his feelings to her. He hadn't even thought about these things. How could he possibly dream about it? He his brow with the back of his hand and took several deep breaths to calm himself. Then he laid back, his eyes still wide from the shock, and wondered how he was going to look at Sakura in the morning. 

Sakura wondered the same question, silently. This was disturbing beyond words. Beyond anything. Sleep refused to come back to claim her, leaving her to replay her bizarre dream over and over again. She remembered every tiny detail, every feeling, every smell...everything! 

Syaoran tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep anymore. He could also remember everything in vivid detail. It was gut-wrenching. He just wanted to forget about this whole stupid dream, wished he hadn't had it...but he couldn't help it. He couldn't help recalling her warmth, the velvety feel of her skin, the way every inch of his body seemed to match hers, the way his hand felt against her curves, his fingers running through her damp hair, his face buried into the crook of her neck, his nostrils filling with that intoxicating scent of hers, and the mischievous grin he had discovered in her moonlight bathed face when he discovered it was her. He couldn't help but like it. And he hated liking it. 

The sun began to rise and Sakura hadn't slept for a single dear second. She was exhausted from fighting back the urge to drift off into the memories of that dream of hers all night long, until she finally caved in. She had also admitted long ago to having a crush on him, one that she kept carefully in check. She wouldn't risk his friendship for the world. And now, there she was, pleasantly shivering from the very thought of his touch, of his weight pressing her lithe body against the mattress, of his passionate kisses, and that smell...she heaved an exhausted sigh, not knowing what to do. By this time Tomoyo had already gotten up, noticed she was awake, and started talking about which one of her fantastic outfits was Sakura going to wear today. 

"Actually, Tomoyo..." she began, rubbing her sore and tired eyes "I think I'm going to stay in this morning" 

"Why?!" Tomoyo nearly screamed, only to have Sakura press a hand against her mouth to silence her "Why?" she repeated, this time quieter. 

"I don't feel so good" she whined "I had a really--" she gulped at this "rough night" 

"Were you uncomfortable? Did you have bad dreams? You should have woke me up!" she chided. 

"I was cold" she said, wrapping herself even tighter in the thick bedspread and blankets "and yes, I had a weird dream" 

"About?" 

"I--I don't remember" she lied self consciously. Sakura hated lying to her best friend, but this was way too private...too embarrassing to let anyone else know about it. 

"I'll let sensei know then. I'm sure he'll understand" she smiled softly "But, if you change your mind, here's what I chose for you to wear today. It's stunning! I'm sure you'll dazzle...everyone...if you feel like coming out to play later" she winked impishly at her. 

With this, she got up from Sakura's bed and went into the bathroom. Sakura silently thanked the gods Kero had felt kind of sick and decided to stay home for the weekend. He would have certainly noticed the concern written all over his Mistress' face, and wouldn't have given up until he'd found out what was wrong. How could she explain something like this to anyone? She was sure she wouldn't even bring herself to write it in her diary. No way. 

***** 

Li Syaoran refused to get out of bed. No one would nudge him on the ribs to make him get up, go out and have fun with everyone. He couldn't, not with these thoughts whirling in his mind anyway. And besides, he was way too tired to do anything. He hoped to sleep without dreams, begged not to be taunted again by those images of his adored sorceress that were driving him crazy. Sleep began to make his eyelids feel heavier, and he finally slipped into a heavy slumber. 

So did Kinomoto Sakura, in the room next door.   
  



	2. Personal Space Invader

Revised version. Please R+R. I don't own these characters. 

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Wild Dreaming   
by animefreak   
  


Sakura blinked a few times to allow her eyes to accustom to the bright light. She reached blindly for her watch on the nightstand, and jerked up when she realized she'd been sleeping through most of the day. But what of it? She still felt tired. She climbed out of bed, running an idle hand through her auburn hair, eyelids still heavy from the deep sleep. She glanced up at the ski outfit Tomoyo had pulled out for her, and couldn't help but smile at it, shaking her head. She would never wear one of those things by choice, but she really liked humoring Tomoyo. She was always so pleased to tape her in one of her fancy creations, Sakura chuckled sleepily. She couldn't bring herself to say no to her, so she showered quickly, and wore the pink outfit with her best smile. 

Tomoyo did nothing to conceal the delighted squeal that escaped her throat at the sight of her best friend coming out of the lodge wearing her precious outfit. Sakura stifled a giggle and walked in the snow towards her. 

"Did you rest at all?" she grinned wide. 

"Um, yeah, I did..." Sakura answered uneasily, the memories from the night before assaulting her mind once again. 

"Have you seen Li?" Tomoyo asked casually "It seems like he slept in. No one has seen him today" 

"I don't know. I haven't seen him" she said hastily, feeling her cheeks burn at the mention of his name. Tomoyo didn't seem to notice this anyway, for she grabbed her arm happily and dragged her to the beginner's ski slopes, begging her to do some skiing with her. Sakura smiled and nodded, firmly believing that keeping herself busy would help her shake off the bizarre thoughts that shamelessly entered her mind over and over again. 

***** 

Syaoran sat by the fireplace inside the lodge. I've slept a lot, he thought. It's already getting dark. He had actually gotten up from bed a long while ago, but didn't have the courage to go out and face her. Like she was going to know, you dolt! he thought again, pulling at his hair. But somehow, he couldn't make himself stare at her in the face. It seemed like someone had opened up his head and dropped those thoughts in, because he didn't recall to ever thinking this way. The memory of the dream was now fainter, perhaps because he'd slept all day long, but it was still too strong for him to brush off like any other dream. It was really, really bizarre.   
  


"It's getting dark, Tomoyo" Sakura said to her friend, grabbing her arm "We'd better get back" 

"Just a minute" the dark haired girl whispered to her as if being careful not to break the spell of the sunset "I want to tape this...it's a once in a lifetime chance!" 

"Well I need to go to the bathroom" 

"You go ahead, I'll meet you back in the lodge" 

"Are you sure?" There was concern in her voice for it was a lot colder and darker right now. 

"Absolutely!" she reassured "You'll thank me for taping this later, I know this" 

Sakura snickered, and patted her best friend on the back as she started walking towards the cabin. Where's everybody? she thought, frowning slightly. She opened the door carelessly, which startled a thoughtful Syaoran who still sat by the fireplace. She noticed him and blushed furiously. 

"Oh, h-hey, Syaoran!" she greeted nervously. 

"H-hey..." he managed to babble. 

"Tomoyo told me...that she didn't see you all day...that you slept in...are you--are you okay?" she fidgeted, hands clenched around a fistful of fur. 

"I--I was tired from the trip" he lied, a truly mortified look on his face "And you know I don't...like the cold...so much" He couldn't fight the blush back. 

"Yeah, I know...I guess...I'll see you" she returned hastily and waved him goodbye as she ran literally to her room. She closed the door behind her and instinctively raised two fingers to her temples. Like he was going to know about it, you idiot! she self berated. You'll end up giving it away! 

***** 

Sakura was strangely quiet that night at the dinnertable. Her eyes were downcast, her head in her left hand, as she absently poked her food with her fork. She just didn't feel like hiding it anymore. It couldn't possibly be a Clow card, for she had already caught them all. And she couldn't tell anybody because the whole mess was too embarrassing to put into words. Who would she tell anyway? Kero always thought Syaoran was a spoiled rude brat. Tomoyo would only make fun and couldn't help her at all. And Syaoran...she shivered at the very thought of telling him about this. 

"Are you okay, Sakura?" Tomoyo questioned, worriedly, at the sudden flush on her friend's cheeks. 

"Y-yeah...I should just...I think I need some fresh air...I'm sorry...I'll see you back at the room okay?" she excused herself quietly, almost in a whisper. 

"But..." 

"I won't be long" she assured with a grin that took her too much effort to fake. 

With that she got up from her chair and exited the dining room. She walked the carpeted corridors silently, until she reached the terrace. She heaved a long sigh and went in, slowly sliding the glass door behind her. She walked towards the railing, admiring the snow covered landscape. She had started humming a familiar melody, but suddenly stopped. Someone was behind her. 

***** 

She turned around as quickly as she could, only to find herself all alone... 

"I think I'm going crazy" she moaned out loud, sitting on an armchair by the railing. 

Sakura took deep breaths to calm herself down. This whole situation wasn't normal. That dream, the presence she just felt, Syaoran's attitude towards her...everything seemed to be off. It just wasn't like her to dwell on things like this, but it was like she couldn't control it. But what could be wrong? Dreaming was normal, even such dreams...maybe she was making too big a deal out of this. It really felt like a big deal. She got up shaking her head, and headed for her room. Time to call it a night, she thought. 

Syaoran hadn't shown up for dinner. How could he eat? Now he thought Sakura had noticed something wrong about him and dreaded the thought of her asking and having to lie to her again. What would he say to her? She made him very nervous as it was, and right now, after that dream, he couldn't even look her in the eye. Great, just...perfect. He couldn't let go of the guilt and the shame. But, wait a second, a voice in his hear chided. It was just a dream! She will never find out unless you tell her... 

"Just a dream" he repeated out loud, not noticing Sakura standing right next to him, trying to open her door. 

"What?" she asked, an adorably puzzled expression on her face. 

Syaoran's eyes went wide in horror. She had been listening to him all along, and only Kami knew what he had said. He turned to her slowly, begging silently that he could win the battle against the furious blush that threatened to set his cheeks on fire. 

"W-What?" was all he managed to stammer. 

"You were saying something...I don't know if you were talking to me though" she whispered, not knowing where she'd gotten the courage to look into his eyes. 

"No...I was thinking aloud..." 

"Okay then" she grinned as she finally opened the door. 

He squeezed his eyes shut as flashes from his dream assaulted his mind at the sight of her smile. Her jade eyes. Her golden hair. 

"Are you okay?" she asked one more time, concern present in her voice. 

"Just...a headache. I'll be fine" 

She shrugged slightly and gave him one last sad grin. 

"Good night, Syaoran" 

"Night...Sakura" 

And she quietly shut the door. She had noticed the pause there. Something was really up with him, but right then she was the least appropriate person to offer him especially any help. 

***** 

Sakura was about to peacefully fall asleep later that night. She had finally managed to relax and was starting to see the light again. It wasn't a big deal...just a dream. One that felt so real she still felt that cold shiver down her spine, but just a dream in the end. No one would be harmed by a simple dream. She was nearly asleep when she caught a faint glimpse of something in the corner of her eye. She bolted upright. It wasn't Tomoyo, for she was asleep in her bed long ago. What the hell was going on? She got up from her bed and pulled the curtains apart. There was nothing there to see, but she knew she wasn't crazy. It was the second time that day she'd felt a strange presence, and this time she'd actually seen something. 

"I'm not crazy" she firmly said to herself "I'm not crazy" 

She walked around the room, looking for whatever it was that she had seen. It was suddenly freezing and she was starting to become anxious. She knew something lurked around her somewhere, but she just couldn't find anything. It was mocking her. She felt hot tears sting her eyes. She turned around everywhere frantically, biting her lips not to scream, slipping into a deep state of panic as seconds went by. 

Syaoran was also beginning to fall asleep when several desperate knocks on his door woke him right up. He jumped out of bed and dashed to the door in one swift movement, readying himself for anything. A hysterical Sakura collapsed into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably, pounding his chest in abject horror. He didn't even have time to ponder his reaction like he usually did. He had to hold her close, almost squeeze her until she began to calm down. He gently led her to his bed, and gave her the glass of water he put religiously on his nightstand every night. She could barely hold it so he lifted the glass to her lips and made her sip it, until she finally came back to her senses. 

"I'm-I'm sorry" she hiccuped softly. 

"Shhhhh. It's okay" he soothed. 

Sakura just rested her head on his bare shoulder and closed her eyes. He just sat there, stoically quiet, giving her all the time in the world to tell him what had happened. He'd seen her scared before, but never like this. This had to be the real thing. He soon found himself running his hand through her hair, his other arm encircling her waist to reassure her, and was amazed at himself.. He blushed at that, but his line of thought was quickly cut off when she lifted her head from his shoulders, and turned around to face him. Ah, she was so beautiful. He shook his head at the thought, readying himself to hear whatever she had to tell him. 

"There...there was something in my room" she began, her voice trembling. 

"Something?" 

"Yes...a ghost...something. Tonight, after dinner--I went out to the terrace--and I felt it" 

"Felt...it?" 

"Yes. A--presence. Like there was someone there with me. At first I thought I was...you know...imagining things. But tonight, when I was about to fall asleep, I saw...I saw something" her breathing began to become uneven again 

"What did you see?" he probed gently. 

"I-I don't know" she sobbed, quietly. 

Now this was weird. He believed her completely, she could have never made something like this up. She was genuinely scared of whatever it was she had seen, or felt...he pulled her closer and resumed his reassuring stroking of her hair. 

"It'll be okay. I won't let anything happen to you" he whispered tenderly "I promise" 

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	3. Fractured Love

Revised version. Please R+R. I don't own these characters   
*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*   
Wild Dreaming   
by animefreak   


Tomoyo woke up in the morning after a good night rest. Apparently, she heard nothing. She quickly noticed that Sakura wasn't in her bed, but figured she was in the bathroom, so she didn't worry. 

"Good morning, Sakura!" she beamed "I hope you had some rest, because today is our last day. These trips are too short, ne? I need to practice a lot more if I want to keep my skiing skills untouched, don't you agree?" 

No response. 

"Sakura?" she frowned, a slight twinge of worry present in her soft voice. 

Still no response. With this, Tomoyo got out of bed and knocked on the bathroom door. The door swung open. 

"Sa-Sakura?" 

She peeked inside, to find the bathroom empty. Maybe she went out for a walk, she thought. Tomoyo cast a glance at Sakura's unmade bed, and noticed her robe lying on the floor, beside her slippers. Her suitcase was untouched. Weird things had happened before, so Tomoyo was already freaking out. She sat on her bed. Think, think, think, Tomoyo, think! she scratched her head in deep concern. 

That was when Sakura's auburn head popped carefully through the door. 

"Sakura! Where were you?!" Tomoyo yelled at her "I thought something had happened to you!!" 

"I'm sorry" she returned, sweetly "I had bit of a...problem" 

"Problem? What problem? Where were you?" 

She fidgeted, blushing furiously "With...Syaoran..." 

"WHAT?!" she yelled louder this time, making Sakura jump at her to cover her mouth. 

"Tomoyo!! You'll wake everyone up!" she whispered nervously "It's a really long story" she blushed again "And I'm really hungry. How about we get dressed and go grab a bite?" Sakura was obviously reluctant to tell her, which meant something big was about to happen. Tomoyo decided to give it a rest. She would find out, however. The thought brought a small grin to her lips. 

"That'll be great. This green coat" she started "goes with these pants. And the boots are just so comfortable. I had them lined in fur. Try them on!" she urged, wide friendly smile plastered to her pretty face. 

That's Tomoyo for you, ladies and gentlemen, Sakura thought with a giggle. 

***** 

After breakfast everyone rushed out to make the most out of the last day of the school trip. It was really cold, but the weather was great for skiing. Tomoyo was feeling a little bolder today, and decided to give the intermediate course a go. 

"Are you coming, Sakura?" 

"I'd rather stay here, Tomoyo, if you don't mind" she returned tiredly. 

"Well, I'll be back by lunchtime. I'll see you!" and she waved her goodbye as she walked away. 

So, I'm on my own, Sakura thought. She so wanted to return home. This trip had drained her both emotionally and physically; she longed for the security of her own bedroom, her own house in old Tomoeda, her father, Touya's frowning face...Kero...she felt like she'd been away from home a million years yet it was only one weekend. One very long weekend for the record. 

She made her way slowly back to the lodge. She felt a hundred years old, like she was carrying the weight of the world on her skinny little shoulders. She didn't look like the same Sakura she was on friday afternoon when they left Tomoeda. She looked so sad, so tired. She left her backpack in her room, and went out to the cafeteria for a cup of tea. Good thing she was alone and she could do some serious thinking. 

Syaoran had promised her they would figure things out together, like they always did. She couldn't forget the determination in his voice; the way he vehemently, almost desperately wanted her to believe him when he assured her that he wouldn't let anyone or anything hurt her. He had never told her he cared for her, but he certainly made it clear, whether he realized it or not. That was one of the things that made her love him so. Wait a minute. Had she just...admitted that she... 

She always knew she felt a twinge of attraction towards him. What girl wouldn't? He was clever, talented...and drop dead gorgeous. She felt a blush creep up her cheeks at that thought. But she never thought the day would come when she would so casually admit that she was in love with him. Had this developed inside her without her even knowing about it? What was she going to do about this? 

Because once you admit this to yourself there's no turning back. Was this the reason why she had had that dream? Because not knowingly she had fallen in love with the Chinese warrior? But...that hadn't been the kind of dream any seventeen years old had when she discovered she'd fallen in love. She wasn't sure whether it was pleasure or deep shame what she felt when she thought about it. Maybe both... 

"I don't want to think about this anymore!" she groaned, squeezing her head with both her hands in exasperation. 

"About what?" a very familiar voice questioned from behind her, making her jump a mile high in the air. "Did I startle you?" he tried to joke, though the customary scowl remained where it had always been. 

"S-Syaoran! I-It's okay..." she blushed fiercely "I was..." 

"Thinking aloud" he completed for her "Are you feeling any better?" 

"Yeah, thanks" she replied softly. 

"What was that you were saying?" he decided to insist for no reason. 

Sakura blushed again, wanting and not wanting to answer him. She wished she could share everything with him, but she didn't know how. She didn't know how he would react to it. How he'd take it. She had this thing going on in her life right now, this feeling on the corner of her mind that kept nagging, refusing to be ignored, that danger lurked close to her. Close to them. She couldn't let things get any more complicated. She knew that maybe someday she would be forced to confront Syaoran about her feelings for him. But now was definitely not the time. 

"Sakura?" 

"You know, Syaoran..." she began, hesitantly "the night we arrived here, I had a very bizarre dream...that kept me up all night...right before the weird things began to happen..." 

Syaoran winced at that. Sakura noticed this, but chose to go on with what little she could tell him about the whole thing without giving herself away. 

"I don't think it had anything to do with it, but you could never know" she blushed "anyway, I haven't been able to...get it off my mind since it happened and...I'm thinking maybe...it's making me overreact about everything. I'm really embarrassed about the sobbing fit, and keeping you up all night..." 

"I don't think we should take this lightly anyway" he replied, gathering his thoughts before they drifted off to those images of her he wasn't able to erase from his mind "I want to know what was that that scared you so much. You're not like that, Sakura" 

"I--I also want to find out" she sighed discouragedly. 

Syaoran suddenly blushed and turned his eyes to his gloved hands folded on his lap. "Tell me something, Sakura" he began whispering, deeply ashamed about what he was going to ask. 

"Yes?" 

"What--what was your dream about?" 

Sakura's eyes flew open, her breath locked in her throat, a deep crimson blush burning her cheeks. She couldn't possibly tell him. 

"I can't...remember..." she stammered. 

I shouldn't have asked, he thought. It was so obvious that she was lying. But why? If she only knew about the dream he had had...it couldn't possibly be worse. Nothing could be. He decided not to push it, as not to embarrass her any further. 

"I can't wait to get back home" Sakura changed the subject quickly. 

"Me too. I've never liked the cold" 

"Why did you come then?" she asked innocently. 

If she only knew. He would willingly follow her to the moon and back if she only asked. He had come to this stupid school trip because of her. Ever since he realized he was in love with her a single day away from her was like burning in hell. And he couldn't tell her. Li Syaoran, future leader of one of the most powerful clans in the world, brave warrior and direct descendant of Clow Reed, became a frightened little boy whenever he was around the lovely Card Captor. All she had to do was smile one of those million watt smile at him to make him go weak on the knees. But he just couldn't tell her. He wouldn't survive a rejection from her. 

"I don't know. I just did" he replied simply. 

There was nothing else he could say to her. Or that she could say to him. They felt exactly the same way, even though they didn't know it. So they just sat there, quietly sipping tea, averting each other's eyes. 

***** 

Sakura felt a heavy weight lift off her shoulders when she spotted the bright lights of Tomoeda twinkling in the dark. She was so tired, and still had plenty of stuff to sort out. The thing that she'd seen back at the mountains. The weird dream she'd had, about Syaoran and herself...Syaoran. She just couldn't get him off her mind. He was sitting behind her once again, quiet as usual. She so wished he would come sit by her side and say something. Anything at all. 

Everything was somehow unimportant to her right now. Hello kaijou, this suitcase is so heavy, with everything you eat you should have enough strength to lift ten of these. Hello Sakura, did you have fun, I made your favorite dessert. Sakura, I'll edit the tapes from the trip tonight and then you can come over tomorrow after school and watch them with me. She smiled automatically to everyone, trying her best to look normal so that no one would ask. She succeeded, except for one person. 

"You okay?" Syaoran leaned close to her and whispered, careful to stay out of Touya's line of sight. 

"M-me? O-of course, why do you ask?" she faked a smile at him. 

"You don't look okay...to me. If anything happened...please...call me" he blushed. 

"I-I will..." she replied quietly "Syaoran?" 

"Yes?" 

"Thank you" 

He gave her one of his rare smiles and walked away. 

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	4. Warm Fuzzy Feeling

Revised version. Please R+R. I don't own these characters.   
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
Wild Dreaming   
by animefreak 

Not long after Sakura got home it started raining. Kero was nowhere to be seen around the room, so she figured he was asleep. It was kind of late. She knocked softly on the drawer Kero slept in, and waited until he came out. 

"Sakura!" he greeted sleepily "What time is it?" 

"Sometime around midnight" she answered simply. 

The toy like creature flew over to her, immediately noticing something off about his Mistress. She looked so tired...and it wasn't just from skiing. 

"What's going on, Sakura?" 

"Well, Kero..." she began, trying to stifle a sob "This was a really...horrible trip" 

And she broke down in tears. Kero hovered over her, not sure about what he should do. This was just so odd. 

"Oh, Sakura, don't cry!" he tried to comfort her, though concern dripped in his voice "You know you can tell me anything! You can trust me!" 

She got up from her bed and walked over to the window, wiping her tears away. Where to begin? 

"Something's wrong with me, Kero" she sighed "I think I'm going crazy" 

"What happened?" 

"I think I saw something, but I'm not sure. Something tells me I'm in trouble here, but there aren't any clues to what could be happening...I feel helpless...and it scares me" Her voice came across sad, low, almost...defeated. 

"What is it that you saw?" 

"That's the thing, I don't know. It couldn't possibly be a Clow Card...because I've got them all...or could it be?" she asked, a silent plea present in her voice. 

"Not that I know of" he answered, crushing every bit of hope Sakura could have had. She had years of experience as a Card Captor, so if it had been a Clow Card, even a difficult one, she would have been able to handle it. But an unknown enemy, an enemy that was messing with her head...she just didn't know. 

"I think I'm going to call it a night, Kero" she whispered "Maybe some rest is what I need to figure this out" 

"I think you should too" he replied, little arms crossed on his chest. 

She smiled at him and patted his head. She felt a lot better to know Kero was there by her side in case anything happened. 

***** 

Syaoran finally sat up on his bed. Again, he couldn't sleep. He had the distinct feeling that something was missing, but he couldn't quite place a finger on what it was. 

For the umpteenth time that night, his thoughts drifted off to the lovely Card Captor. He had felt the same thing she had, but he didn't tell her. If he told her, she would know she wasn't imagining things, but it would scare her beyond words. He knew something was out there to get them, but he would be damned if he allowed anything to happen to her. What was it? An evil spirit? A monster? He wasn't exactly the expert on these things. Where would he begin investigating? The thing didn't leave a lot of clues behind it. All he had was this feeling tugging at the corner of his mind...a very scared sorceress...not really a strong basis for investigation. But he had to find out. He didn't really care much about what happened to him; he had to do this for her. 

Sakura rollerbladed slowly to school next morning. She didn't want to get there. She remembered the time when she used to enjoy every inch of the way to school. Even though she had been chosen as the Card Captor, she was still free and happy. Not that she was unhappy now, but everything seemed different. She was sad, and scared...she felt helpless against whatever this was that was stalking her. She could now feel it strongly, following her every move, as if waiting to attack her at her weakest. She felt defenseless and strangely alone, like no one could possibly help her if she needed it. 

It was really early when she got there. She changed into her school shoes and headed for her classroom. She couldn't stop thinking about this past weekend, everything weird about it...the dream. The thought had crossed her mind that this dream was something someone set up. But it didn't quite match. Why would someone make her dream about...that? With what purpose? To make her reel? To make her so embarrassed that she would...stay away from Syaoran? That didn't make any sense. Why would someone want to keep her away from him? What horrible thing could possibly happen if she got any closer? Besides, she and Syaoran were only friends and that's what they would always be. She would never have enough courage to tell him how she felt, so it was bound to stay a secret forever. 

She opened the classroom door. There he was, sitting in his usual place, chin in hands looking out the window. 

"Good morning" she whispered, as if not to interrupt his meditation. He turned around to look at her, frown knitting his brow as usual. 

"Good morning" he replied hesitantly. She got the impression that he was about to tell her something else. 

"What's...up?" Sakura couldn't hold back a smirk, noting the troubled expression on his face. 

"I need to talk to you" his voice was quiet, almost an unintelligible whisper. 

"Well--" she began, just as they heard the door slide open. Tomoyo. 

"Hello, you guys!" she greeted happily "Did you get any rest last night? It's so weird to see you two here so early..." 

Suddenly she noticed she had interrupted something. She grinned mischievously and muttered an apology that sounded way too much like a snicker. Sakura and Syaoran both blushed furiously. 

"No, no, don't apologize!" Sakura waved her hands giggling nervously in front of her "We were just talking!" 

"In that case..." Tomoyo smiled "I edited the tapes from the trip. Will you come to my house today to watch them? You too, Li" she added. 

Sakura cast a quick glance at Syaoran, whose eyes silently asked her to decline. This must be serious then, she thought. 

"You know, Tomoyo, I remembered I'll have a ton of housework to do this afternoon. My father's away at another dig you see? And Touya has this very tough test on Friday and he'll be out studying like crazy...so you see, everything's up to me this afternoon!" she excused herself. Tomoyo fought the sly grin that tugged at the corners of her mouth. It was obvious she was lying, and that she was going to meet Syaoran that afternoon. That's so sweet, she thought. 

"Well, it's okay" Tomoyo conceded "We'll do it some other time" 

***** 

The day passed by as slowly as it possibly could, at least for Sakura and Syaoran. History, Literature, Art...and finally Maths. Syaoran, who was very good in maths and was usually the first one to solve any kind of problem they were given, was stuck in a stupid equation. He couldn't concentrate. He had reached the same conclusion Sakura had hours ago: that dream of his was induced by someone, something...for some reason he had yet to figure out. It was probably the same Sakura had thought she'd seen back at the mountains. Which meant that he had to gather every ounce of courage he had, and tell her about what he'd felt, about his dream...everything. The presence was only getting stronger as time passed by. 

The last bell finally rang, a collective sigh of relief rose from the crowd of tired teens. Everyone began gathering their stuff, talking gaily to each other about the plans for this afternoon, the surprisingly small amount of homework they had been given that day, and anything a bunch of seventeen year olds were bound to talk about. Sakura, however, remained at her desk, patiently waiting for everyone to leave the room, so that she and Syaoran could resume the morning talk that had been interrupted. She waved and smiled sweetly to everyone who said goodbye to her, and declined gently every invitation she received from any friend to get some ice cream, watch a movie...Syaoran was starting to feel bad about it. She wasn't at all like him. She was beautiful and happy, she had friends, a life of her own. It was so unfair to deprive her of that. Maybe he should really figure this out on his own. 

"Maybe you should go out and have some fun, Sakura" he said softly "Maybe that's what you need" 

"You needed to talk to me...so we'll talk" she replied, determination in her voice "So, Penguin Park?" a knowing smile crossed her features. Penguin Park was such a familiar place for the both of them. They had shared so much at that park. He nodded and walked to the door, sliding it open for her. 

They walked to the Penguin Park in silence. By the look on his face, this was a really important issue he wanted to discuss with her and she couldn't help but wonder. He was sorting out the words in his mind. How would he tell her about this? It was private, deeply embarrassing...it involved her, for crying out loud. They finally reached the park and sat on the swings. 

"Brings memories, ne?" she tried to lighten up the atmosphere, feeling suddenly nervous and uncomfortable. 

"I had a dream too, Sakura" he blurted out, not wanting to wait any more. The tone of his voice, the deep concern present in it sent a cold shiver down her spine. This was big, she could tell. A fierce blush covered his cheeks. 

"A...dream?" 

"Yes. A dream. A dream...about you" 

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	5. Showtime!!

  
Revised version. Please R+R. I don't own these characters. 

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-   
Wild Dreaming   
by animefreak   
  


"A-a dream...about m-me, S-Syaoran?" she stammered, blushing uncontrollably. 

"Yes. About you...and me" he kept going, feeling somehow that if he stopped he wouldn't be able to blurt out the whole thing. 

If there was anything like having an embarrassment fit, Sakura was on the verge of having one. Syaoran couldn't help but notice her effort to control the spasmodic movements of her knees, her face buried on her shoulders, her short auburn locks barely covering a furious blush, her hands folded on her lap, squeezing one another...he was embarrassing her. 

"I'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, Sakura. But I-I really need to--to tell you" he breathed, lowering his eyes to his now fiddling hands. 

"It's okay" she managed to reply so softly he could barely make her out. 

He waited a moment before he continued. This was so hard...what if what he had thought was wrong? What if the only thing that induced that dream was the fact that he was in love with her and wanted her even though he wouldn't admit it? He was a guy, after all. He'd never thought about her like this before, but what if this was only a normal development of the feelings he had for her? But...if this was normal, then why did it feel so wrong? Maybe because everything Sakura was screamed innocence? Did this mean he was only a pervert, unworthy of her? He couldn't live with the idea that he had to abandon every hope of ever being with her, of holding her knowing that she was his...not that he was ever planning on letting her know that he loved her that much, but...it was the hope what kept him going on. 

"I had this dream the night we arrived on the mountains...and like you said...it kept me up all night. When thinking about it, I remembered you had told me you'd had a weird dream too..." he looked at her, and noticed her growing more restless with every word he said, but decided to continue. He had already gone this far "It occured to me that...maybe that thing that you saw was manipulating us. It gave us both strange dreams to make us reel...and we complied" 

"I-I thought about that too" she said, a little surprise in her voice from the realization that they had reached the same conclusions. 

"Now, tell me, Sakura" he whispered, not daring to look at her "What was that dream of yours about?" 

***** 

Sakura's eyes went wide in disbelief. The dreaded question had finally been asked. Her breath locked in her throat, not allowing her to even attempt to articulate a single word. She wished for the earth to open and swallow her whole, for anything to happen that would free her from having to answer that question. This time, Syaoran wasn't about to give up. She would have to answer. 

"I-I uh...must I...I mean..." she stammered, finally finding her words. 

"Sakura, I have this hunch" he said, firmly "I need to know..." 

"But I-I just can't--" her voice trembled. She wasn't going to get off the hook this time. She would have to face him and tell him, and maybe then run away and hide under her bed until she died. Suddenly, he reached out for her hand. Her head jerked up in surprise, but she just relaxed and let his hand slowly slip into hers, squeeze it. He was obviously trying to get her to trust him. He'd never been this gentle before. 

She then noticed he wasn't so much trying to give her confidence, but to find his own. He was about to blurt out something so big it would make her fall off her chair. And him too, probably. She then knew he was mirroring her feelings, all the embarrassment and the shame, and the realization dawned on her. 

"You and I, we had the same dream, didn't we?" she said, astonishment present in her gentle voice. 

"You--and I--" he began, nodding slightly. 

"Together. As in..." she blushed at this "Really together" Sakura finished, averting her gaze from him. 

He nodded in understanding, a mortified look crossing his handsome features, his amber eyes fixed on her emerald ones. 

"You felt dirty...embarrassed. You wished we didn't have to see each other. You wanted to be..." 

"As far away from you as I could" he completed. 

She sighed, feeling her confidence return. So their minds had been manipulated into this unlikely dream. A subtle way of making them drift apart, so simple she felt like banging her head against a wall for not having known from the beginning. 

"Tell me something else, Sakura" he whispered. 

"Yes?" 

"Did you...I mean, when you woke up...when you remembered about this...this dream of ours...could you still feel...I mean..." he stammered clumsily. 

"Yes" she answered faintly knowing exactly what he meant, a blush burning her cheeks yet again "And...I still can" 

He tried to pull his hand from hers, in an attempt to conceal his trembling, but she firmly held on to him. This was the part that drove him crazy. The trails left by her soft fingers on his skin were impossible to erase, as if the fictitious encounter had actually happened. His line of thought was disrupted by Sakura's abrupt movement. She'd violently jumped up from the swing, clutching the key of Clow that hung around her throat, adopting a defensive posture. His senses had been dulled by the engrossing feeling, but just by looking into her eyes, so full of fear, he understood what was going on. 

"It's here" Sakura whispered, shivering, confirming the warrior's thoughts. 

Syaoran nodded, pendant already in hand. If that thing wants to touch Sakura, he thought, setting his jaw in determination, it will have to kill me first. And that won't be happening today. He called forth his clan sword, back to back with the beautiful sorceress, waiting. It seemed like a lifetime until a blurry female figure took shape in front of them. He tightened the grip on the hilt of his sword, and just observed. 

"What are you?" he finally growled, protectively pressing his back against Sakura's. She had released her wand and was just waiting to see what happened. "Stay close to me, Sakura" he hissed "Don't leave my side" 

She nodded, slightly surprised at the unfamiliar intensity in his voice. It was like he didn't worry about himself so much as he worried about her. She couldn't believe herself right then. All she could think about was his amazing smell now that he was so close to her, even when exposed to extreme danger as she was. 

The shadowy figure lunged at them, not leaving them any other chance than jumping apart from each other. Then in a swift movement it attacked again, making it clear its target was Sakura. She could barely escape this last attack by rolling on the ground. Syaoran ran to her rescue, but it easily whacked him against a tree before he could do anything, so hard it took him a while to get up from the ground. In the meanwhile the shadow wasted no time, and it attacked Sakura time and time again, not giving her any time to recover or strike back. She cast an exhausted glance to a battered Syaoran, who gritted his teeth in horror: he had to do something before this thing got her killed. 

He took a deep breath, as if bracing himself for what was coming, and charged straight at the thing, sword in hand. It realized what he was about to do and turned around with every intention of liquidating him before he caused any more trouble. Syaoran let it get bare millimeters away from him and then jumped, making the shadowy figure fall down and crash down into the ground. 

"Sakura!!" he cried, urging her to take quick action. 

"Sword Card! Release and dispel!" she voiced, wiping a trickle of blood from her chin with her sleeve. 

With one clean swing she cut the shadow in two. With a chilling howl, it disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Sakura fell down on her knees, now taking in the full impact of the blows she'd taken. Syaoran ran towards her, and kneeled by her side. 

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. 

"This isn't over" she coughed "It was too easy. It'll come back" 

"Shhhh, don't talk" he said, lifting one of her arms to check for wounds "Let's go to my place. You can't go home looking like this" 

She nodded and took the hand he was offering her. He helped her up and gently put her arm around his shoulders to help her walk. She was right, though. This couldn't have been the real thing. All it had taken was one single blow to take it out...only one. On the other hand, it was really strong. Sakura couldn't possibly have beaten it up by herself. He didn't even want to think what could have happened if he hadn't been there to help her. 

He had to physically drag her into the apartment and on to his bed, for she was so badly beaten up she couldn't walk on her own. 

"Wait here just a second" he whispered "I'll go get the first aid kit" 

Sakura nodded and watched him go out the door. It was amazing what he had done for her. He had risked his life to protect her, and she felt like she would never be able to repay him for that. It was pretty obvious that whatever this thing was it was after her. So he didn't have to put his life on the line for her again. All she had to do was...lie to him. She winced at that. That was going to be difficult to pull off, but...she loved him. And only because of that, she couldn't allow him to pull another stunt like today's. 

"What's on your mind?" Sakura didn't hear him come in. She jumped ever so slightly, for the pain hardly let her move. 

"I want to call Kero" she said "He might know what I'm...what we're up against here" 

He'd caught the correction. It deepened his scowl. 

"You're not thinking of going after this thing by yourself, are you?" he asked, a sudden twinge of despair on his voice. 

She lowered her head. She couldn't do it. Lying to him was the most difficult thing she had to do. 

"You're not, you hear me?" he began, his tone of voice becoming more and more exasperated by the second "We're in this together, Sakura. You can't leave me out" 

"But you...you risked your life...Syaoran...I don't want you to..." 

"That's not your decision to make!" he near yelled at her, making her flinch. He realized what he had just done, and heaved a long sigh "I don't want anything to happen to you" 

"If it's supposed to happen, Syaoran...you won't be able to stop it" 

"I won't let it happen" 

"But..." 

"I don't want to hear another but. I told you, we're in this together" he repeated, calmer this time "And that's the way we're getting out of it" He began cleaning her multiple wounds, trying to be as gentle as possible "Maybe your stuffed toy can help you" 

"He doesn't like to be called that" she pointed out, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. 

"I don't like to be called a brat any more than he likes being called a stuffed toy" he shrugged. 

Sakura smiled at that. She would never get them to get along, no matter what she did. 

"Sakura..." Syaoran called, shyly. 

"Yes?" 

"About that dream..." he hesitantly began, making her blush immediately. She hastily averted her eyes from his, wishing he would drop the subject. 

"I--I didn't...quite dislike it" 

Sakura chuckled under her breath, and looked briefly up to him. 

"Me neither"   
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	6. The Syaoran, Sakura and Kero show

  
Revised version. Please R+R. I don't own these characters.   
-----@@----->-----@@----->-----@@----->-----@@----->-----@@----->   
Wild Dreaming   
by animefreak 

Sakura got home and quickly went upstairs. She didn't want anybody asking her questions she wouldn't be able to answer. She hated lying, primarily because she sucked at it. And she would have to come up with something because soon she would have to lie her way out of this. Kero was waiting for her with a very concerned expression on his adorable toy like face. 

"Sakura! What the heck happened?" he hovered over her in worry. 

"We're going to need your help in this, Kero" she began, surprisingly calm for how bad she looked. 

"We? We who?" 

"Me and Syaoran" she stated. 

"What does the Chinese brat have to do with this whole thing?" 

"It's all about me and him. Look, I brought you some pudding. Sit down, and I'll explain it all to you" 

"Hmmm, pudding!!" the small creature exclaimed, sitting down and grabbing the small plastic spoon his Mistress was handing him. 

Sakura sat down on the bed and patiently explained everything to him in detail. How they had shared the same dream, how she had seen the figure at night in her bedroom, and finally, how the monster or whatever it was had attacked them at the Penguin Park right after they had managed to figure things out. Kero listened so carefully the pudding lasted him the entire conversation. 

"I'm not sure what this could be, Sakura" the guardian began, frowning "It could be any number of things" 

"Like what? Please tell me Kero, we need to be prepared next time! It nearly killed me, you know?" she begged. 

The Beast Guardian of the Seal paused for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his cute yellow face. 

"Well, Sakura, you see" he began explaining, floating closer to her "You and that brat are not ordinary people. You are both related in one way or another to one of the most powerful sorcerers of all time. You, because you were the one chosen by him to become the new Mistress of the Cards...his successor. The brat, well, he's his direct descendant. Your magic is unlike any other in the world...it's unique and extremely pure and powerful. In the wrong hands, this kind of power could make the whole planet blow up. Whatever it is that's after you guys wants the power within you" 

"But Kero, it was after me only" 

"That's probably because you're the Mistress of the Cards. If you're out of the way the cards can be released and all hell can break loose" he said, his tone deeper in concern "It'll be like killing two birds in one shot" 

"And why did they want to keep me and Syaoran apart?" 

"For the same reason. You guys together are a force to be reckoned with!" 

Sakura remained silent for a second, her beautiful jade eyes filled with worry and fear. 

"Who-Who could be doing this?" she finally dared to ask, almost afraid of the answer. 

"It could be anyone, but we can rule out certain things" 

"Like?" 

"That it's a Clow Card. At the beginning I thought that maybe it was like a secret card created with a special purpose, something I didn't even know about...but now I know it isn't. A Clow card couldn't summon monsters to attack you...it would do it by itself" 

"Okay, then it's not a Clow Card. What are we left with then?" 

"A demon. An evil spirit that wants your power to free itself. A current of black magic. It could be about anything, Sakura" 

"How do I find out? Where should I begin?" 

"Maybe you should do a reading" 

"A reading? What do you mean a reading?" 

Kero chuckled. She still had a lot to learn, even though she'd been the Card Captor for over seven years now. 

"You've captured all the cards and changed them into Sakura Cards, right? That means you have a whole maze of them. Once that happens, you can use them, with an appropriate spell of course, to roughly predict your immediate future. It requires practice, but I'm sure it can help you a lot right now even though you're untrained. They're tarot cards after all, ne?" 

"Teach me, then" she nodded impatiently. 

***** 

Syaoran hadn't moved from his bed since she'd left. The thought of how near she'd been from death gave him the very creeps. And she wanted to go on her own against this thing. There was no way he would allow that. He'd rather die than let her go like this and get killed. It had taken him a lot of effort to talk her into letting him be a part of it. There had been a moment when he had ran out on arguments, and was almost forced to pull the last card from his sleeve, the one he was planning on keeping there forever: he would tell her that he wouldn't let her do this because he loved her. But thankfully in the end it hadn't been necessary. She had been touched by his concern and had allowed him to make a spell that enabled them to find each other whatever it may come. It was the first time he'd used that spell in his life. He remembered when he'd learned from his mentor all those years ago. He told him there would never be anyone in this world that he would want to be this close to, but he was forced to learn the spell anyway. When he insisted on asking why, the sensei had only smiled and told him that there would be someone he would want to communicate with like this. Turns out he was right, Syaoran thought with a smile. She was his own age, but he had learned so much from her. About the joy of living, of finding pleasure in the smallest things around you, like the smell of the sea, or the crunchy sound of the snow as you walked on it, a good song, the butterflies that flew off the fields in the summer, cherry blossoms getting caught in your hair on the fall...everything was so new and wonderful to her, and that overly optimistic attitude towards life had ended up rubbing off on him, even if it didn't quite show, despite everything he did to avoid it. Surrender had been just a matter of time; that was the reason he loved her so, the reason why he was willing to die for her if the time came when he had to do it, the reason why he had returned to Tomoeda District only a year and a half after he'd gone back to Hong Kong six years ago, leaving wealth, honor, the pride of one of the most important families in the world behind...just to sit behind the beautiful Cherry Blossom every day at school, to watch her smile, to daydream about her knowing that when he woke up she would be at hand's reach. Because he felt like he owed her everything, and he could never repay her for it. She was impossible to resist, he had to fall in love with her just because there was nobody like her in the whole wide world. And whoever wanted to hurt such an angel was really evil. 

***** 

Sakura chanted the spell just like Kero had taught her a couple minutes ago, and cut the maze of cards in two parts. Then she laid them face down on the table, again like Kero had patiently explained. Nine cards, diamond shape. She then opened her eyes and took a deep breath. She turned the first card around. 

"The Dark Card. I don't know who this person is, then" she slowly turned around the two cards below that one "Illusion and Dream...it's a magic user...and manipulates the mind. We knew that" she added sarcastically, earning herself a shush from Kero. 

"You'll break the spell if you don't concentrate" 

"Okay, okay. Let's see now" she said as she turned the three middle cards "Earthy, Power, Big...it's a human...a very powerful sorcerer" she reasoned, her voice trembling. She turned around the next two cards with shaky hands "Shadow and Mist. He...or she's very dangerous...related somehow to the dark world, with the ability of summoning dark beings, demons..." she took a deep breath before turning around the last card, the one that would give her the most important clue "The Mirror..." she frowned. "Kero..." she turned around, confused. 

Kero looked every bit as puzzled as she did "I don't know, Sakura" he answered, rubbing his little chin "This time, I really, really don't know"   


***** 

"So, what have we got?" Syaoran asked her on the way home next day after school. 

"Kero and I did a reading--" she began, making him chuckle. 

"A reading? With the Clow Cards? I see you've become quite the expert!" he quipped, a oddly playful smile on his lips. She smiled back at him, wonder in her emerald green eyes "What?" he asked quizzically. 

"You look so much better when you smile" she whispered to him, unable to wipe the smile off her face "I wonder why you don't do it more" 

"That's the way the Li family is...especially if you're male. I think I was born with this frown" Syaoran shrugged, keeping the smile, just to please her. 

Sakura was astonished. She'd never heard him joke about himself before. And she could count the times she'd seen him smile with the fingers on her hand. Let alone laugh. What a treat, she thought. 

"Seriously now...I seem to recall my sensei telling me once that...this was one of the uses that could be given to the Clow Cards...even though I'll always think that's a girls thing" he joked yet again. He never stopped surprising her. 

"Oh. We're in a good mood today, aren't we?" 

He shrugged for lack of an answer. It was her what made him so happy...too bad he couldn't tell her. 

"Anyway, Syaoran...apparently we're up against a human. A sorcerer with some kind of link to the dark world...as in...he could be related to a demon or an evil spirit somehow, he could have a contract, a pact...anything of the sort. It's no one we've met before. He's dangerous and powerful...and a freak for mind games" 

"Do we know that..." 

Sakura chuckled. She didn't think the time would come when they would actually laugh about such an embarrassing issue. 

"There was one thing I didn't understand though, and as much as Kero and I tried, it didn't make any sense" 

"Which was?" 

"The last card drawn is supposed to give you a definitive and clear hint. You're not supposed to make any mistakes with that one. Anyhow..." 

"Yes?" 

"The last card I drew was the Mirror Card. It doesn't make any sense...we couldn't figure out its meaning. Whatever it is...it's beyond my understanding" 

"Could it be..." he started thoughtfully "That he's your equal in powers? That you'll finally meet your match?" 

"Do you think so? My match?" she said, pondering the thought. Her match. Why hadn't that occurred to her? She suddenly smiled, at the thought that rose in her mind. He was so clever. Was this pride she was feeling? Was she proud of him? Man, have I fallen hard for this one, she thought "I hadn't thought of that" 

"Scary" he said, raising a thoughtful eyebrow. 

Sakura didn't answer. It was scary all right. The Mirror...God, how she wished Syaoran was wrong. They walked in complete silence until they reached Sakura's home. They just stood there, not talking or looking at each other, for a long while. Sakura was the one to break the long silence. 

"Syaoran..." she called shyly, not wanting to look at him. 

"Yes" came his quiet reply. 

"I'm...really scared" 

His eyes softened at the admission, and he had to smile at her. He closed the distance between them, barely squeezing her shoulder for reassurance. 

"You don't have to be. I won't let anything happen to you" 

"But..." 

"Sakura" the next thought wrenched his gut painfully "That's what friends are for" 

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	7. Hole in my soul

Revised version. Please R+R. I don't own these characters. 

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\   
Wild Dreaming   
by animefreak 

So it was true. He saw her as one more friend, like Tomoyo, like any classmate. It was sweet that he let her know so vehemently that he cared for her as a friend, but what happened with the feelings she had been keeping from him for so long? She was not a shy person, why then was it so difficult to tell him this? Maybe it would have been out of place when they were eleven but now? Why couldn't she tell him? 

Sakura gathered every ounce of courage she had, and opened her mouth, but in the second she was going to begin her breath locked in her throat. She couldn't. What would happen to her if he rejected her? She wouldn't be able to look at him on the face ever again, and that would ruin a friendship that, never mind her feelings, meant a lot to her. It was probably the most she'd get from him...why couldn't she settle for that? She felt like her head was going to explode, probably the reason why she didn't notice the what-the-hell-is-the-matter-with-you look Syaoran was giving her right then. 

"What?" she managed to ask. 

"You've got this...weird look on your face...are you okay?" 

"I'm okay...great...absolutely fine!" Sakura giggled nervously. She had to learn to lie, and soon! 

"Okay, Sakura, you can tell me" he sighed, patiently "What's on your mind?" 

"In my mind? Nothing! I was just thinking...about that card...in my reading" 

"If you don't want to tell me, then fine...but you don't have to lie to me" he stated, crossing his arms across his chest 

Sakura blushed. Either she was way too obvious or he knew her too well. Or both. I got to tell him, she thought. Why am I so stupid? 

"Syaoran..." she called, blushing, suddenly appearing to be ten years old again. 

He blinked, surprised. He'd never seen this look on her face before. There was something excitingly beautiful in her expression...it wasn't the same kind of embarrassment her lovely face had portrayed when she confessed him everything about the infamous dream. It was something completely different...this girl was going to do something really outrageous. 

"Yes?" he whispered, anticipation sending a cold shiver down his spine. 

"There's something I need to tell you...I haven't told you this yet, because...well, because...I haven't..." she clicked her tongue in exasperation and shook her head, nervous fingers running through golden locks "I wanted to tell you that I..." 

"Sakura!" an angry voice yelled out a window on the second story. They both looked up, startled. Touya's frowning face was sticking out of the window, menacingly glaring at the Chinese boy standing way too close to his sister, if you asked him "What the hell are you doing with that brat out there? Do you know what time it is?" 

"Touya, shut up!" she clenched her fists in frustration. She had been so close! 

"Get in here right now! And you, kid! Step away from my sister!" 

Syaoran growled what Sakura assumed was some sort of insult in chinese, and crossed his arms across his chest once again. He wouldn't move an inch. Sakura sighed heavily, gave Syaoran an I'm sorry look, and started walking towards the front door. Touya slammed the window shut and went inside, and Syaoran sighed and began his walk home. 

What could it have been that she wanted to tell him? Maybe something she'd kept secret about the cards, that she had felt compelled to confess after he'd admitted that he cared for her as a friend. What a stupid thing to say. He should tell her the truth, before it was too late. Before someone else came along and stole her away, leaving him absolutely devastated. What was wrong with him? That was going to happen! She was too beautiful, too sweet, too smart to pass unnoticed. Which led him to the customary share of self pity he experimented every time he thought about this. Why would a girl like her set her eyes in someone like him? He was too serious, too formal, too cold. And he had told her they were definitely friends. What kind of an idiot would do something like that? If you wanted something you had to go for it. Or it was bound to slip from your fingers like water. 

He looked up. He was already standing in front of his building...that had been so fast. How engrossed would you have to be in your thoughts to not know where you were walking? Pure instinct had led him, apparently, because he didn't know Tomoeda so well yet, even though he'd lived there for several years now. When he opened his apartment door the phone was ringing. He threw his keys and his backpack on the black leather couch in the living room, and casually walked to the stool where the phone had always been. 

"Hello?" 

"Hello, Li, this is Tomoyo" 

"Oh" was all he could say, a surprised look crossing his features. 

"How did it go?" 

"How did what go" he asked huskily. 

"You know, the thing with Sakura..." she giggled. 

"No, I don't know. What are you talking about?" 

"You telling Sakura that you love her...I thought that's why you guys had ditched me!" 

He blushed ten shades of red and couldn't hold back a cough. Tomoyo knowingly smiled and crossed her legs. 

"No...we were talking about the...the..." he stammered, not being able to finish the sentence. 

"Yeah, yeah. Are you planning on ever telling her? Pretty girls don't wait forever!" 

"I actually...where did you get that from anyway?" he said in exasperation. 

"Oh, please, Li, who do you think I am? You'd have to be blind to not notice. Which Sakura proved to be, ne? I'll give her a little nudge if you're going to tell her...well, more of a hard shove, but..." 

"Why are you so interested in this anyway?" he asked, his blush deepening with the second. 

"Because, you see...I think you guys are so perfect for each other. You're handsome, powerful...she's a beautiful sorceress, you get along pretty well, you're obviously crazy about her and she..." 

Whoops. She caught herself before anything else escaped her big mouth, but she had already awaken his curiosity. 

"She what" he said, impatiently. 

"I was going to say she's single, as in doesn't have a boyfriend..." Tomoyo had managed to patch it up, but...she had been so close to spilling her friend's secret. Sakura would kill her for sure "And I want to tape that get together of yours!" she beamed, making him sweatdrop. 

"It's not that easy, Tomoyo. And this is definitely not the time for this. You know the mess we're into right now. I couldn't possibly burden her with anything else...it would only make her unable to concentrate and that would be...fatal" he sighed. 

So, he had admitted to Tomoyo that he loved her best friend. Great. 

"Please don't tell her" he pleaded "I will deal with that if the time comes for it" 

"Whatever makes you happy, Li. But remember...she's not going to be sitting in front of you at school forever...if you know what I mean. Have a good night" 

And she hung up. She had found out exactly what she wanted to know. So he really loved her. Tomoyo had always been suspicious because he gave too many clues away, but Sakura was incapable of taking a hint. Those blushes, the stammering whenever he was around her, everything pointed it out. But she couldn't be sure until she heard him from Li Syaoran's very lips, for he was a very complicated person and trying to understand how he felt could be tricky. I'm the master, Tomoyo thought, sly grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. 

Tomoyo also knew how her friend felt about the warrior. She had figured it out way before Sakura herself had dared admitting it to herself. Tomoyo had questioned her about it and she had denied it at first, but slowly she began to give in, until one night she slept over at Tomoyo's huge mansion she had admitted everything. How she had felt like she was going to fall apart the night he called and told her he was going home to Hong Kong and didn't know if he'd ever come back. The feeling of sheer bliss she had experimented a year and a half later, the day he had shown up at school wanting to surprise her. The effort it took her to tear her eyes off of him when he noticed she was staring. The many nights she'd dreamt he was a prince that came riding his horse to sweep her off her feet. The pleasant goosebumps she got whenever she heard his voice on the phone. She was hopelessly in love with him, and he with her, and neither of them had noticed each other's feelings! As the saying is, Tomoyo thought, you have to take a step away from the mirror to have a clear view. She would make sure they both took that step back and realized what couldn't be more obvious that was going on. She'd be damned if she couldn't get her two best friends realize that a whole world of happiness was awaiting them in the arms of each other...not to mention she would have endless sappy scenes on tape. Ohohohohohohohoho. 

***** 

Back at home, Sakura fumed. 

"What the hell were you thinking" she yelled at her brother, who had his arms crossed in the most annoying way "Syaoran is MY friend! Who the hell gave you the right to choose who I hang out with? Do I do that to you?" 

"No, you don't, because you're my baby sister. I have to take care of you" 

"I'm not a baby!" she yelled even louder, giving him such a kick in the shin he bent over in pain "Don't you dare do that to me ever again in your life or you'll be sorry!!" 

"What's going on in here?" Sakura's dad stepped into the kitchen, where the argument was taking place "I can't work with all the racket!" 

"Touya is an ass!" Sakura screamed at the top of her lungs. 

"She was with that Chinese brat...and look at what time it is!!" 

"It's six in the afternoon, you neanderthal!!" she yelled in exasperation. 

"Sakura, don't scream" her father pleaded, rubbing his temples "I don't understand anything" 

"He yelled at me from the window to come inside, like I was a five years old! Where in the world did he get the idea he could do that to me? Have I ever humiliated him in front of anyone like this?" 

"Did you, Touya?" 

"I-I don't want my little sister hanging out with that kid. He's bad news" he said in a low voice. 

"I'm not a baby I said!" and she stomped on his foot, making him gasp yet again. 

"Touya, that's really...you shouldn't be doing this to Sakura anymore...she's seventeen now" her father said softly "And you, Sakura. You shouldn't hit Touya. I don't want you guys fighting anymore. I need peace and quiet to get some work done. Act like the brothers you are, will you? For me?" 

Sakura sighed in defeat. "Yes, dad" she said meekly, giving her brother a look that could kill. She could never say no to her father, which was a weakness of her when she was fighting with Touya. Damn! she thought, and went up the stairs to her room. 

Kero knew something was up when she slammed the door shut. 

"What happened?" he asked, frowning. 

"That...animal...of a brother that I've got..." she said, clenching her fists. 

"Oh, that. Did you tell the brat about the reading?" 

"I did. And he said something pretty terrifying to me" 

"What did he say?" Kero asked, flying over to her. 

"He said...that maybe that Mirror Card in my reading meant...that our rival is my equal in powers. As in, he's going to be the most difficult enemy to beat ever. My match" she shivered at the very thought. 

"That brat is so clever sometimes" Kero growled grudgingly. 

There it was again. That beam of pride she felt every time she heard anything good said about her sorcerer. He's not my...sorcerer, she thought sadly. Why oh why, did it have to be so hard loving him? She sighed in self defeat. 

"Hey, Sakura! I'm talking to you!" she heard Kero yell at him, snapping her out of her thoughts of the Chinese warrior. 

"I'm listening!" she protested. 

"If this is true, you need to prepare for the battle. You need to train" 

"And how am I going to do that?" she sighed, tiredly "I can't see how I could get ready for a battle with someone I don't even know" 

"Well, you have to polish your abilities in every possible ways. Eliminate every probable flaw" 

"Like?" 

"You will ask that brat to train with you. He won't say no to you. He's a really good fighter..." he saw the look on her face, and shook his head "Which you were probably already thinking" 

That made Sakura blush. 

"He will beat me in a blink" she said. 

"That's why you're going to train with him!" he replied, flying over to the box of cookies his Mistress had brought for him, and set delicately on the table for him to eat. 

"Eat and shut up" she said, not being able to conceal her blush. 

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	8. A lesson learned

Revised version. Please R+R. I don't own these characters. 

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Wild Dreaming   
by animefreak   


Syaoran quirked an eyebrow at the strange request. Train her? As in actually fight her and kick her butt? 

"Why do you want to do this?" 

"Oh, I don't, but Kero is making me" she sighed, wearily "He says I need to polish my abilities for whenever this--this thing attacks again" 

"Polish your abilities?" he asked again, playfully. 

"Oh, shut up. Do you really think I want to get my ass kicked by you?" 

Syaoran had to laugh. She could be so funny even when she wasn't trying to. And, truth be told, the idea of fighting her wasn't all that disagreeable. In all the years they had been friends their activities had been very well separated because they had different abilities. He was mainly a warrior, and she was mainly a sorceress. He would now be able to finally share something with her. Quite exciting. 

"I won't be so hard on you" 

"So, that means you accept?" she whined "I was hoping you would feel sorry for me and decline" 

"You might as well beat me" 

"Like that was ever gonna happen. I can't understand why does Kero have to be so persistent!!" 

"Don't be such a baby. You're the great Card Captor...you should at least know how to defend yourself!" 

"And who said I didn't?!" she replied in mock annoyance "I'm just not very good...you know...without my Sakura Cards" 

"We'll fix that. And then, maybe someday, you can beat me!" 

"Shut up!" she said, playfully punching his arm. 

***** 

Sakura felt suddenly shy as she entered Syaoran's apartment. She looked around, searching for any signs of anyone else, and got really embarrassed when Syaoran guessed what she was thinking. 

"You're looking for Wei? You've got an amazing memory. He went back with me to Hong Kong, but I returned alone. You must be surprised that everything's neat, right? Since I'm a guy and everything..." 

"No, I wasn't...I mean..." 

"Relax. I'm not going to bite you. What are Tomoyo and the stuffed beast doing?" 

"They'll be right over...Tomoyo ran out of tape, and had to go home to get some...and then she offered Kero some desserts her maid made for her...he obviously went off with her. They should be here any minute". 

"Shall we wait for them, or you want to start right away?" 

"Where are we going to..." 

"Right this way" he beckoned her with his finger to have her follow him. 

"Whew!" she whispered "This apartment is a lot bigger than it looks. For a minute there I forgot you were a Li" she quipped. 

He snickered as his only answer to that. There was nothing else he could say to her. He was wealthy. His mother would never allow her only son, her beloved baby boy to live in a place that was anything below exquisite. 

"You can change in there" he pointed at a room on his right "I'll set things up in here" 

"Sure thing" she said, entering the room and closing the door behind her. The room was very dark, thick velvet curtains closed, but she could easily tell this was his room. It smelled like him. She lay down on the bed, her head to his pillows. Oh, had she dreamt of a moment like this. Had she woken up in the middle of the night and reached out her hand to him only to find she was all alone. She couldn't believe she was thinking these things, but it was way worse if she tried to fight back those thoughts. She changed into the outfit Tomoyo had designed for this "very special occasion". Tight pink shirt, white baggy pants, all designed specially to allow her mobility. It was amazingly simple considering Tomoyo's extravagant tastes. She sighed heavily before reluctantly leaving the room. She was on for the whipping of a lifetime. Thanks a lot, Kero!! 

Sakura nearly fell over when she stepped into the terrace of sorts that he used to train in and discovered he was taking his shirt off. Damn. She had got him in the middle of changing. She quickly averted her eyes trying to conceal a deep blush. She'd seen him shirtless before, but back then she had a lot more things to worry about than that. Now there was only the two of them, all alone in an apartment, about to engage in physical activities that involved a lot of contact...Gods, she hadn't thought of that!! Please, Kero, Tomoyo, hurry up!! she pleaded in her thoughts. 

"Oh, there you are. I thought you'd gotten lost or something" he joked, putting a new shirt on. 

"Nice view" she said. She suddenly realized that what she said could have meant a lot of things "I-I mean..." 

"I know what you mean" he grinned "Let me close the windows...it's really cold" 

The room they were in was awesome. It had a roof, but no walls. Only windows that you could slide open and walk into a nice balcony with some plants and stuff. There was only a small oak table in the room and some cushions on the floor, and the only wall, the one she'd come in through, was covered with swords, staffs and other weapons. She looked around her still shaking the shame she felt for having made that last comment. 

"Well, can I get you anything to drink while Tomoyo and that toy arrive?" 

"Oh, no, I'm fine" she shook her head. 

Sakura didn't know what to say. What the hell was the matter with her? She'd been to his apartment before, and it was never like this. Of course, you ass, you were eleven years old! she thought self beratedly. And you didn't know you loved the guy. That's right. She just stood there awkwardly, watching him move things around. 

He knew that if he started paying too much attention to her he was going to start getting really nervous, so he tried to keep himself busy. It wasn't working too well, but at least he got to conceal his shaking. Sakura on the other hand was having those familiar restlessness again. The pre-confession jitters!! she thought, frowning with a mortified look on her face. This wasn't exactly the best time to tell him, was it? She so wanted to, despite what she knew was going to happen. She had never been one to be comfortable with secrets, and least from him. She had started fidgeting and he'd noticed it. 

"What's the matter? You afraid of me?" he openly joked, and was surprised when she didn't laugh. 

"Remember there was something I wanted to tell you the other day when Touya interrupted us?" 

"Oh, yeah" he said, pretending to have forgotten. 

"What it was, was that...that...I wanted to tell you that...that I--" 

"We're here!!" Kero stormed through the door, making Sakura jump a mile high in the air "The door was open, so we thought we'd come right in!" 

Syaoran gave the newcomers a dirty look. This was the second time something stupid had kept Sakura from telling him whatever this was, that seemed to be important because it took her so much effort to blurt out. 

"I'm all set" Tomoyo said, ignoring the look and smiling as always "You can start whenever you want. Don't mind me, I'll be sitting over here" 

Syaoran walked hastily to the center of the room, where a white circle was drawn on the floor. He beckoned Sakura with his finger once again, and she reluctantly followed with a suffering look on her face. 

"Okay Sakura. Before you think of using any weapon, you have to learn how to fight with your own bare hands. They should be as deadly as any weapon" he began, staring at her. He became a totally different person in combat mode, or so Sakura thought "You need to learn how to defend yourself before you learn how to attack...for defense will always be your best attack" he continued "Now, I'll be the attacker. You'll just block my blows. Are we clear?" 

"Yes" 

Before she could finish saying that he started throwing her all sorts of punches and kicks, so fast she could hardly see what was happening. He forced her to step back until they reached one of the glass walls, and he stopped the last punch only millimeters away from her nose. 

"The enemy won't give you any notice that he'll start attacking you" he said, disapprovingly "You need to be ready at all times. One more time" 

She nodded. He was truly intimidating when doing this. But she wasn't about to let him have his way. Even if she had to stay there until three in the morning, she would at least give him a good fight. She could now manage to block a few blows, but some still got to her. And she was sure he was being gentle. She wouldn't really want to be his enemy. 

"If you fight your enemy like this, he'll kill you in less than a second" he teased. She was starting to get annoyed, which was exactly what he had planned. Once he irritated her enough, she would start losing her respect for him as a fighter and would become a tough opponent. 

Tomoyo also noted what Syaoran's strategy was. He's a smart guy, she thought. She taped everything silently, focusing every once in a while in Sakura's in growing furious frown. He was beating the crap out of her, and making fun all the way. She was beginning to want to kill him. 

"Now I'll block and you'll attack. See if you do better with that" 

Sakura fumed, ready to break his face. She was angry. Very angry. So angry she easily broke through his tight defense and hit him hard on the face, making him roll a few feet on the ground. It took him a while to sit up. Anyhow, her anger turned to deep guilt when she found out she'd made him bleed. He looked up to her, holding the back of his hand to his bleeding nose. 

"Way to go" he said proudly, making her eyes go wide in disbelief. She had just punched him on the face, made him bleed, and he was proud of her? 

"I'm so sorry" she said, kneeling beside him and reaching out to help him "I never meant to..." 

"You did great. It's the first time this happens to me. I don't think I want to do this with you anymore, though" he quipped, a pained look suddenly crossing his features "You could really break me something next time" 

"Oh, no, really, I'm so sorry!" she replied on the verge of tears "Here, let me help you--Tomoyo, what do you think you're doing?" 

The friend in question was already there, taping all the action up close. "Act as if I wasn't here. What am I going to call this episode?" 

Sakura sighed, jumping to her feet to help the injured warrior up. She led him into the living room, and went into the kitchen for some ice. Kero flew after her, cheering her all the way for making the brat bleed. She shushed him and yanked him by the tail, making him complain loudly. Syaoran held his head up, for he couldn't stop the bleeding. 

"That was a hell of a hook" he observed to Tomoyo "Straight to my nose with her left hand. I didn't expect her to do that" 

"You made her mad" Tomoyo giggled knowingly. 

"I did. It was the only way to make her release her whole potential. She's going to become a great fighter. That monster doesn't know who he's up against" 

"You sound really proud of her" 

"I am" he stated, simply. 

The conversation was quickly cut off when Sakura approached the couch with a neatly wrapped handkerchief, filled with crushed ice. She can even whip up an improvised ice pack and make it look perfect, he thought with a smile. She's amazing. 

She carefully removed his hand from his nose and applied the ice pack. It didn't even hurt. She was being especially gentle for that purpose. 

"Does it hurt?" Sakura sounded like a pampering girlfriend, his head on her lap, her hand squeezing his for comfort. And she was blissfully unaware of how it looked. Kero fumed, Tomoyo giggled, Syaoran melted. She kept straightening his messy hair, and gently pressing the ice pack against his hurt nose...until somewhere along the line she realized what she was doing. Fun's over, Syaoran thought when he noticed the horrifiedly embarrassed expression on her face. 

"Are you feeling any better?" she asked, obviously trying to conceal the shame. 

"Much, thanks. I think I can hold this" he replied taking the ice pack from her delicate hands and sitting up. Least he could do was try to save her the embarrassment. 

***** 

She rollerbladed home without saying a word. She had said good bye to Tomoyo two blocks ago, and had been quiet ever since. She felt terrible for not being able to tell him. Why did something have to happen every time she thought she had enough courage to say the words? Kero, Tomoyo, Touya, they all seemed to be conspiring to keep her from telling him. Maybe she wasn't supposed to tell him and that was that. But she so wanted to! 

"Hello, kaijou" 

"Hello, brother" she responded wearily. Touya was taken aback. She hadn't even gotten mad at him for calling her a monster! 

"Hey, Sakura, what's the matter with you? I called you kaijou..." 

"I know what you called me. I'm just not in the mood to argue with you. I'm tired" she stated, clicking her tongue in exasperation at her shoes that refused to come off. Once that was done, she headed straight for the stairs, but he ran after her and blocked the way. 

"Did that Chinese brat do something to you?" 

"Why does everything has to necessarily have something to do with him? He didn't do anything. Never does" she defended him patiently. 

"I know what I saw, and I know that guy's bad news" 

"That was like six years ago, Touya. We've become friends since. Let me go upstairs, please" 

"If he does anything to you he's dead meat" 

"I'll tell you if he does" 

He shook his head and scratched her head, making her squirm. He was always very rough, even when trying to show her affection, like right then. But he obviously loved her. And she knew. He just wouldn't admit his little sister wasn't so little anymore, and that she was strong enough to defend herself from most things. It was nice to know, though, that she would always have her brother around to protect her. 

Once she shut her door Kero popped out of her backpack. 

"I was suffocating in there!" 

"Well, now you're out" she replied simply, opening her window to let some air in. She noticed it was starting to snow again, so she had to close it right away. 

"Is something wrong?" 

"I was thinking about my Christmas shopping" she lied "What would you like for Christmas, Kero?" 

"You're buying me a present?" he beamed. 

"Of course I am! Were you thinking I wouldn't?" 

He darted towards her and encircled as much as he could of her neck with his little arms. She was sad, but couldn't stop herself from laughing at the affectionate display from the diminutive Guard Beast of the Seal, and gently scratch his back. 

"Of course I'm getting you a present. You are my best friend!!" 

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	9. A life less ordinary

  
Revised version. Please R+R. I don't own these characters. 

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Saturday morning.   


Sakura had woken up a long while ago, but she hadn't felt like getting out of bed. Apparently Kero was still asleep on his drawer, for he hadn't come over to check up on her. She felt depressed. She couldn't shake the feeling that something horrible was going to happen soon. It was bound to happen: ever since the day that strange shadow had attacked her and Syaoran the presence hadn't abandoned her senses for a single second. It was hard for her to sleep, to eat, to live. It was like carrying ten times her weight on her shoulders. How she wished that this would end, and they could go back to leading their normal lives. This wasn't fair for anyone. Not even Kero, who was supposed to tutor her and help her. He too deserved a little peace and quiet... 

Tears stung her eyes when she remembered the reaction he had had when she told him she'd buy him a present. She didn't even know if she was going to be around to give him the present he'd promised him... 

Sakura wiped the tears away and set her jaw in determination. She was the Card Captor! She had to be the first to think that everything was going to be all right and that, with the help of her friends she would beat whatever this thing was. This person. The phone rang. 

"Hello, this is Sakura" 

"Hey you" replied a too familiar voice from the other side of the line. Amazing how he could brighten her whole day with two simple words. 

"Oh, hey!" she said, sitting up and straightening her hair with an idiotic grin on her face "Is something up?" 

"No...I just wanted to...talk to you..." 

"Okay. You're like, the worst actor in the world. Tell me what's going on, please" 

He sighed in defeat. "You've been depressed for days and it worries me, that's all" 

Sakura blinked, surprised. He was admitting to be worried about her? Unbelievable!! 

"That's so sweet" was all she managed to say. 

"Tell you what. I'll buy you lunch. This'll sound weird, but maybe I can cheer you up. If not, you can talk to me about...well...what's wrong..." 

"You should know what's wrong, Syaoran" she sighed, sadly. 

"Well, yeah...what do you say? Meet me at Penguin Park at, say, noon?" 

"Deal. Syaoran..." 

"Yes" 

"Thank you" 

"Aww, shut up. I'll see you in a few" 

And he hung up. It was Tomoyo who had suggested him to call her up and ask her out, and make her believe that it was all because she looked sad. It wouldn't look like a date but it would certainly be one. After all, she needed someone to keep her company, and not even Tomoyo could be a better company. Shame she couldn't tell him that. They were both such babies! They should have realized by now they were crazy about each other, and they were yet clueless...it had looked like a job for Tomoyo from the very beginning. 

Sakura got up from bed, feeling a weird mixture of sadness and bliss in her heart. She was going to spend the entire afternoon with her favorite sorcerer in the world, and doing things two seventeen years old would normally do. No horrible training, no monsters, no magic cards...only Sakura and Syaoran in a...date! That's when it dawned on her. It was a date all right, even though he hadn't meant it that way. He was so sweet for caring enough to think about this. So she would put away every feeling of frustration, or anger, or sadness, and would smile her brightest smile for him. 

Syaoran felt so stupid when he caught himself wondering what he'd wear for his meeting with Sakura. How had she done this to him? He had sat by the phone, had lifted the speaker like a hundred times, wondering if he'd have enough courage to coldly ask her. Without turning into a babbling idiot, of course, and make her believe his excuse. Then he'd finally decided to go through with it. He had felt a wave of relief wash over his body when he hung up. He had to give Tomoyo some credit...she was the master. When he thought it through, he found out the excuse was indeed, perfect. He was sure she'd be around taping everything, but he had to let her, even as a small payment for the hand she'd lent him. He couldn't sit still though. It was ten in the morning and he was already pacing the whole apartment, not knowing what to do until noon. He looked at his watch every five minutes. Time passed way too slowly whenever he had to wait for his sorceress. 

It had been this way even from the first day he'd returned to Hong Kong. He appeared to be so distressed his mother allowed him to go back to Japan, under the one condition that he would come back someday and assume the leadership of his clan. He would agree to anything to rid his chest of the aching feeling he experienced every time he thought of the beautiful emerald green eyes so far away from him. How it would feel to hold her, to smell her scent even from afar, to watch her smile at him. She smiled a lot, but whenever she smiled at him there was a whole different feel to it. She really cared about him, he could tell. But did she care enough to take him for the rest of her life? To someday leave everything she knew here in Tomoeda District to follow him to Hong Kong and become the very beloved and pampered wife of the mighty leader of the Li Clan? Could he ever ask this of her? And what would happen to him if he asked and she declined? His heart would be so shattered it would be impossible to mend. For he could never in a thousand lifetimes love anyone like he loved her. But...for him to ask all these things he had to...tell her first. 

***** 

Syaoran couldn't help but arrive like half an hour early to the Penguin Park, where he was supposed to meet her. He sat on a bench, unsuccessfully trying to distract himself with anything while she arrived. All he could think about was her. If everything went well, he might even...at least hint her about his feelings for her. She was clueless about everything, and he wasn't sure he could find a subtle way of letting her know...and he was way too shy to just blurt it out. He would find a way. If everything went as planned. He caught a glimpse of Tomoyo and Kero hiding in some bushes not too far away from where he was sitting, and waved at them to make them aware that he'd spotted them. His cellphone rang right after he did that. 

"Hello, Tomoyo" 

"How did you know it was me?" 

"I've got a sixth sense for these things" came his sarcastic reply "Listen to me. Don't be too obvious...a little privacy might be on order at some point, you know what I mean?" 

"You're gonna tell her!!" Tomoyo yelled into the speaker, making Syaoran withdraw the phone from his ear, wincing. 

"No, I didn't say that. I just...this is probably one of the few chances I'll ever get to...hang out with her...you know..." he gestured towards the bushes. 

"I understand...I'll just stay for a while and then I'll leave you guys alone. After all the brainstorming I had to do to come up with such an idea, I'm not about to be the one who ruins it right? Have fun!!" she grinned and hung up. 

He put his cellphone away just as Sakura approached the bench he was sitting on. He jumped up the bench to greet her, feeling suddenly awkward. He never thought this would actually happen to him, and he was so unprepared. Tomoyo watched them through the bushes, starry-eyed. 

"They make such a wonderful couple!! Don't you think, Kero?" 

"I only came along to check up on her. I don't know what that guy could come up with, and I have to be ready to defend her if the occasion rose up. I'm her guardian!" he mumbled, munching on the chocolate chip cookies Tomoyo had bribed him with. 

"Oh, Kero! Do you think he would actually do anything to harm her in any way? All he does is protect her!" 

Kero swallowed what was in his mouth, and his expression softened in defeat. 

"No, I don't think so" he growled despite himself. He had to admit the kid did nothing but love his Mistress. At times, he had been tempted to yell it out to her, but it just wasn't his place to do such a thing...she had to figure it out by herself, but man, was it taking her long! And he was so jealous. For years he and Tomoyo had been her only companions. Of course, there had always been the Chinese kid, but he never saw him as an actual threat. He hadn't considered the fact that Sakura would grow up and seek for a different kind of company. Like the one she was getting from the Li brat. He didn't want to share his adored Sakura...but something told him he would soon have to. 

***** 

"You're here early" she pointed out with a shy grin. 

"Yeah, I--I had a couple things to do on my way here, and I finished early" he lied. He couldn't possibly tell her he had been sitting there for the last half hour just waiting for her... 

"I see. Shall we go?" 

He nodded. It had been so long since he'd seen her like this, not worrying about anything, laughing and talking about anything silly, not their enemy, ignoring even for one day the nagging feeling of danger they could both sense. How he wished he could always see her like this! 

They had lunch at the only Chinese restaurant there was in Tomoeda District, at Syaoran's request, after a very long walk. Sakura listened in fascination to his stories about how life was in Hong Kong, his sisters and his mother, the gigantic Li estate, and how he wished she could visit some time, for he was sure she'd love it. He had also started explaining to her what the Dim Sum they were having was made of, and she hadn't let him finish, because if she knew what she was eating she probably wouldn't be able to finish it. After lunch they walked downtown for some ice cream, and even though they were having a lot of fun, something was bothering Syaoran. Could he ask her? He would probably embarrass her if he did, but he so needed to know...he hadn't forgotten for a second about it, and it was driving him crazy. Just like this predicament did. That was it. He would ask her. 

"Sakura?" 

"Yes" she answered, toying with her drink. 

"I was wondering..." How was he going to do this? "What was that you've been wanting to tell me?" 

She coughed into her glass, turning ten shades of red in one second. 

"Okay, I shouldn't have asked that" he said softly, willing to drop the subject if it made her so uncomfortable. As anxious as it made him to know there was something so important she hadn't told him. 

Sakura looked up to him and saw the disappointment on his eyes. She hated it. She was dreading herself right then for being so stupid. But the words refused to come out of her mouth. 

"I'll walk you home" he said, realizing he had just ruined the day. What a jerk he could be at times. She nodded and got up from the table, wishing she had never opened her big big mouth in the first place to tell him something like that. What good could it have done her if she'd told him? He was probably to marry someone his own status back in Hong Kong someday. Maybe even accustomed to that idea. How, then, could he like someone like her? She wasn't at all like him. She was just a girl from Tomoeda District, who happened to be the Card Captor. Who led a life that was only a little less ordinary. What did she have in common with him? Magic? That was hardly something that would pull two people together. Especially two people like them. Was it better off as a secret, then, even though it broke hear heart? Probably. 

This time Touya didn't yell his sister to come in when he saw her standing by the fence with the Chinese boy. Something told him they were onto something really serious. He had never known for sure, but he suspected his sister was not an ordinary person. There was something about her, something she kept even from her family and only he was sensitive enough to notice. What it was, would probably remain a secret forever. A secret that somehow, that Chinese brat was aware of. She knew what she was doing, or so he thought. So he left the window, and walked silently to the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee. 

Neither Sakura, nor Syaoran had uttered a single word since they'd left the ice cream parlor. There it was again, that tension between them that they both hated so much. Neither of them knew what to say or do to break the silence, so they just stood there, one in front of the other, once they reached Sakura's home. 

"I'm--I'm sorry I screwed up" he stammered in deep shame. 

"You didn't. It's all my fault. What I wanted to tell you..." she sighed "Is something that it's better off kept a secret. A some point I thought it would be better if you knew, but somehow, I don't think it's that important anymore. You shouldn't worry. It wasn't a big deal anyway" 

"It's your call. I won't worry. Sakura..." 

"Yes?" 

"I really had fun today...I'm glad you accepted...meeting me..." 

"Don't mention it. I'm glad you called" 

"Yeah. And..." 

"Yes?" 

"Please don't forget to call me if anything comes up" 

"You can feel it too, right?" she grinned, a mixture of sadness and fear in her beautiful eyes. He could only nod in agreement, not liking what he saw. She was sad again and was probably up for a really bad night. 

"It's close" she whispered through her suddenly flowing tears, just as he reached out his arms to hold her. It was the only way he could find to reassure her. 

"Really close" 

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	10. The Chemicals Between Us

Revised version. Please R+R. I don't own these characters 

[*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*][*]   
Wild Dreaming   
by animefreak 

Sakura looked around her. It was a dark and cold place, unlike any other she'd seen before. A very luxurious room. The tiles on the floor were black, and so were the walls. The only lighting came from the crystal dome ceiling, as the moon shone through. She then looked at herself. She was wearing some sort of white silk dress, more like robes, and she was barefoot. A vision, she thought. She dared take a few steps forward, afraid of what she might find there. As she walked forward, she noticed the black crystal pedestal in front of her, with an equally impressive throne on top of it. She suddenly shivered. There was actually someone sitting up there. 

A young, dark haired man sat on the throne, legs elegantly crossed, a glass of some sort of liquor in his gloved hand. He sported the sweetest of smiles on his handsome face, and his head resting on his other hand. 

"You came for your little wolf" 

"What?" 

He snapped his fingers and an elegantly dressed servant appeared with a covered silver tray. It was so shiny it nearly blinded her. He beckoned her with his fingers and she soon found herself climbing up the stairs that led to the throne, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. Her cards! On a diminutive tray by the throne were her cards, the ones she had fought so hard all these years to catch. He handed the covered tray to her with an evil grin. Her eyes went wide as she lifted the lid and found... 

Sakura woke up screaming at the top of her lungs. Kero came to her, but had to quickly hide under the covers when Touya rushed in and kneeled beside a nearly hysterical Sakura. 

"What happened? What's going on? Are you okay? Sakura, I'm here!" he asked her, trying in every possible way to calm her down "Where does it hurt? What happened? Sakura, answer me!" 

It took her a long while to calm down. Kero was still under the blankets, stroking her leg for it was the only comfort he could provide while Touya was still in the room. 

"What happened, Sakura?" Touya patiently asked her once again. 

"It was just...just a nightmare, brother. I'm sorry I woke you up like this" 

"I don't think so. I'm going to call dad at the dig and tell him to come back" 

"No! It's not necessary, I'll just go back to sleep...trust me, Touya. I'm fine" 

He gave her a reprobatory look and scratched her head. Then he got up and left. With that, Kero was finally able to come out and sit on his Mistress' lap. 

"Was it a vision, Sakura?" 

"I--I don't know. I've had visions before, you know, and I'm familiar with what they feel like, but Kero, this one dream...it felt like someone was sending those images directly into my brain..." she sobbed quietly as to not attract her brother's attention again. 

"What was it about?" 

"I was--I was in this awfully dark room...it looked like a throne room of a palace or something like that, like those you see in movies...the roof was clear and it was nighttime..." she started squeezing her hands at that "then I discovered the throne, and someone sitting on it, a...a man...a man with dark hair, I can't really remember anything else about him...he was holding a brandy glass, or a wine glass, or...just a glass" she gestured in exasperation "then he asked me if I'd come for my little wolf...I assumed he meant...Syaoran..." at this point she started sobbing again "he called me and I went, and he handed me this...silver tray...with a lid on it, and I saw my cards on a tray by his side...then I lifted the lid and there was...there was..." 

Sakura burst into tears, not wanting to say the words. She didn't need to. Kero already knew what it was. He was trying to torment her, drive her crazy, make her unable to fight back. He was a respectable enemy, but he was sure Sakura would find a way to pull through. She had to. Or that horrible vision she'd just had would come painfully true. 

"There's something I don't get, Sakura. What was he doing with your cards?" 

"I don't know. Maybe they will be stolen. What the hell do I know!" 

***** 

Syaoran was woken up by loud banging on his door. Who could it be at this time of night? He straightened up his messy hair and yelled a sleepy I'm coming to his late night visitor. He couldn't believe his eyes. 

"Sakura?" 

He hadn't seen her since their date on sunday; four days had passed. He hadn't wanted to bother her, so he wouldn't call her or stop by. If she was on school break, she might as well enjoy some rest. Even from him. Despite everything they had been through and how good friends they had become, it was painfully clear to him that he in a certain way only reminded her of her parallel lifestyle. Her life as a Card Captor. They wouldn't have met under normal circumstances, like a regular boy and a girl get to know each other. Hadn't it been because of the Clow Cards, he would have never known there was such beauty and goodness in the world. He would have remained trapped in the golden cage the Li estate was back in Hong Kong, would have married the woman someone else would choose for him, and would have been content with the life he was supposed to lead from the day he was born: the powerful leader of the Li Clan, the one who would perpetuate the honor and pride of the family. Lead the Clan down the good path. Have a heir, and make him live the same gray, boring existence he had been raised for himself. No, Sakura had changed all of that. She had absolutely twisted his well drawn path and turned into an exciting adventure, a much more colorful path, at the end of which he desperately hoped to find the most precious of treasures: her heart. Her smiling face. Hearing from her adorable lips those three words he so longed to hear. 

Now in front of him stood a defeated, terrified Sakura, her indescribable eyes downcast, her lovely face stained with the traces of a nightmare. He pulled her inside by the hand, his heart sinking at the realization her hand was cold, limp, like all the energy had been drained from her. He led her to his bedroom and sat her on the bed. He wouldn't ask her. She would tell him whenever she was ready for it. 

"Syaoran..." she finally said, her stare desperately clinging to his, obviously looking for some hope. Silently begging, say it isn't so. 

"I saw your head on a silver platter" she blurted out. 

"What?" he asked. He was taken aback by that statement. Was she out of her mind? Had that monster finally succeeded in driving her crazy? 

"I'm not crazy" she said, as if she could hear his thoughts "I just had this dream...and that's what I saw. I don't know if it will happen or if it's just been sent to torment me...but I saw it" 

Syaoran felt his skin crawl. She wasn't kidding. Her voice was like a robot's, low, even, emotionless. He held her tight, as if that embrace could rid her mind of the horrible image she'd just described to him. What could he do to make everything all right? He instinctively kissed her head, not being able to refrain himself from keeping his nose buried in her golden locks. 

"That won't happen" he whispered reassuringly. 

"He had my cards" 

"Your cards? How could that be?" 

"I don't know" she answered, sniffing "I have to do something...I can't let this happen to you" 

With that she finally threw her arms around him, tears streaming freely down her cheeks. He was still in shock from what he'd heard about her vision, but he had to smile, as he started stroking her hair. 

"Don't worry about me. Nothing will happen. I will always be here with you. I promise" 

***** 

"What? In a silver platter? What the hell is that all about?" asked a shocked Tomoyo, who had managed to get Sakura out of her house, after having been there locked up for three days. Three days since her vision, three days since she'd spent the one peaceful night she'd had in weeks, at Syaoran's apartment. She felt so much safer when he was around. 

"Please, Tomoyo, keep your voice down!" Sakura pleaded, smiling apologetically to all those people she'd bothered with her yell. 

"Um, yeah, sorry" she whispered through the hand Sakura had clamped against her mouth in surprise "That must have been awful! And so you went to his apartment. What happened there?" 

"I told him, and then I slept. I hadn't slept this well in so long...sometimes I think that monster will manage to drive me crazy" 

"No he won't, Sakura. He has Syaoran, Kero, and myself to go over before he can touch you" 

Sakura smiled at her and squeezed her gloved hand. Tomoyo had been her best friend for years, and probably would always be. They had shared so much, she was so happy that she had ever met her. She was the only friend she had that knew about her secret lifestyle, and not only did she accept it, but would also help her in everything she might need. And she would do exactly the same thing for her. More than friends, they were almost like sisters. 

"Thank you, Tomoyo...although I wouldn't let any of you get hurt because of me" 

"Oh, stop that. Your ice cream is melting" 

She sighed when she realized the mess she had made. With patience worthy of a saint she started scooping all the melting ice cream from the glass. Tomoyo then kicked her gently under the table, and nodded indicating a spot behind her. Sakura frowned, and Tomoyo rolled her eyes, grinning. She could be the worst sometimes. 

"Hey" came a voice she knew too well from behind her, making her stiffen visibly. 

"Hey, Li!" Tomoyo replied way too cheerfully "Pull up a chair!" 

And so he did. He sat by Sakura's side, who treated him to her sweetest smile, even though she was still startled. Oh, was that the most beautiful face in the universe! In any situation, even when tired, when sad, when angry. Shame he had to bother her with the news he brought. Sakura frowned as he gave her this I've got to talk to you look that she dreaded so much, because she always knew something really ugly was going on. 

"How have you been? You know, since you had that--that..." his gestures were a lot more eloquent than any word. Both girls nodded. 

"I'm fine, no more bad...dreams" she grinned at him "I presume you came in here to..." 

It was amazing how they had gotten to know each other. The language of the eyes, if you will. 

"Someone broke into my apartment this morning, while I was out" 

"Oh? What did they take?" 

"Nothing. That's what was really suspicious. Then I found out my place had been marked. As in...magically marked. The mark was unknown to me" 

"What does that mean?" 

"Well, I'm thinking...it's a warning. Because magic can't be used inside those marks. They're like...like magic seals, if you will" 

"A warning...for me" Sakura said, lowering her head "Syaoran?" 

"Yes?" 

"You can't stay in that apartment any longer. It's too dangerous" 

"I know, but...what am I supposed to do?" 

"Well, Touya and his father are going away for the holidays this year" Tomoyo observed. 

"What about you, Sakura?" 

"I convinced them to let me stay. I can't leave you guys alone with this thing lurking around the corner. So I'll stay home" 

"I'll be staying with her, and so could you. We would all be together whatever problem it may rise..." 

"It's true, you know" Sakura pointed out, concern all over her voice "Tell you what. I'll just wait for you tonight" 

Syaoran arrived in Sakura's home around midnight. He wasn't really thrilled by the idea of having to sleep in Touya's room, but he couldn't do anything about it. Sakura was being kind enough to let him stay over with her. And he could also protect the Card Captor. It wasn't really his duty, but he took it deadly serious. Not only because she was the woman he loved, but because he knew how important she was to the entire world. 

So he laid in bed, unable to sleep. He was really tired, but for some reason sleep just refused to come. That happened to him sometimes, especially when he was worried about something, so he didn't pay any attention to it. He wondered if Sakura was asleep. He couldn't believe he was so close to her, and couldn't touch her, even watch her sleep. He smiled, and honestly hoped she would have a good night sleep, for weariness didn't suit her angel like face at all. He was thinking of her when he heard a soft knocking on the door. He sat up on the bed, almost instinctively knowing her late night visitor was her. Indeed, her auburn haired head popped through the door. 

"Syaoran?" 

"You can come in" 

She came in with feather light footsteps, and gracefully sat down on the bed beside him. She was absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful. Soon he found himself fighting to refrain his instincts again. Sometimes he felt like just taking her in his arms and kissing her at the very least, and right then, it was being very hard not to. She slipped her hand into his, and lowered her eyes. 

"Remember...Syaoran...that I said I had something I wanted to say to you?" 

"I remember" he admitted, thanking Kami or any other deity for the darkness that was concealing his blush. 

"What it was...was that...I--" she stammered, making Syaoran grin through his apparently never fading blush. She was so adorable when she was embarrassed. Sakura suddenly reached out to him and did the unthinkable. Oh, the shock. 

His eyes flew open at the feel of her arms encircling what she could of his bare torso. It was the first time that she'd done anything like this. Ever. Her hands felt cold against his back, but he would never mind. He thought with a grin of how many times he'd dreamt of having her like this. Holding like this felt so good. Such peace, such comfort...he sighed into her hair, noticing much to his dismay that she was beginning to let go. He reluctantly loosened his grip on her, frowning in slight shock when she lifted her whole body, still in his arms, to reach his eye level. Why was she doing this? He had to concentrate hard on refraining from kissing her. It would be so easy. He swallowed hard, feeling as if she was physically pulling him closer to her. He couldn't hold it any longer. So he tried to let go of her...unsuccessfully. She had tightened her grip on him, and this time he did nothing to conceal the shock. She closed her eyes. 

"I love you" she whispered, only loud enough for him to hear it. 

Syaoran's eyes went wide in disbelief. Did she really mean what she just said? If he hadn't felt everything in vivid detail, her warmth, her flowery scent, her emerald green eyes shining from the moonlight that came in through the window, he would have thought this was a wonderful dream. 

That was when she raised herself to her knees again, taking a deep determined breath. She was going to do it. She had just said those three words, those words that had sounded like a thousand choirs of angels, and now she was going to do this. Syaoran watched her close her eyes and bite her lip in the most disturbing fashion. This was a side of Sakura he didn't know. An expression he hadn't seen. In that fraction of a fraction of a second, he felt she was telling him the truth. He instinctively closed his eyes. She was really going to do this! Was it the heat of the moment? Probably. Did it matter? Not at all. He thought he would pass out when he felt her lips brush his. Oh, how am I supposed to resist her? he thought, a second before his mind went blank. He gently rid one hand of the tight embrace he was now sharing with the adorable sorceress for a second, to pinch himself. It hurt. This was the real deal. 

That was probably why he didn't notice the thick smoke encircling them as they kissed. Before he could notice it, he was on his back and she was straddling his hips, just like...just like in that dream. He opened his eyes and they went wide at what he saw. This wasn't his beautiful, gentle Sakura. This was a hungry beast ready to suck all of his energy out. He tried with all of his might to rid himself of her grip, only thinking that he couldn't leave his Sakura alone now but the curtain of smoke closed around them, suffocating him until he passed out. Sakura...forgive me. That was the last thing he thought of before everything went pitch black.   


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	11. Pain in any language

ch11.html Hello!! There's someone here who also wants to say hello: my dearest little one, the cutest girl in the whole wide world: my kitty Freda. She's acting very spoiled tonight, wants a lot of attention. Well. I have another comment: Burn Up Excess is worse than Sailor Moon to me. It's equally stupid, but with a special aditament: it's vulgar.   
Oh. I beg every Sailor Moon fans' pardon, but I can barely control my upchuck reflexes when I see Darien turn into this...this...pathetic gay masked...person. Or even worse, when those guys make their appearance in one of the last seasons...the guys that turn into women...that's just disgusting. Add an oversexed teenager who leads the most boring life ever and transforms into an insipid heroin, and...get ready to grab your barf bags.   
But I like writing about what I like better. You can't really say anime is clever, except for a few exceptions, even some of them I don't like, like Blue Seed, but I gotta admit it's clever. Exceptions like Evangelion or Escaflowne (that's the good stuff) or Bubblegum Crisis, or the ever so wonderful Soul Hunter (you can tell I adore it, right?) but we can tolerate a certain level of silliness. Like in Cardcaptor Sakura. It's about a bunch of 10 year olds, for crying out loud. Although you can't help but wonder...is there anyone over seventeen years old in anime?? That's a question for you. Anyway, there are only a few anime series that I don't like. Even in CCS there are characters I can't stand the sight of, like Yue, for example. I can't understand what the fascination about estrogen saturated, winged girlish looking guys is all about (have you checked out the earring? God Bless!! I DON'T want to see a guy like that in real life) but I love the rest of the characters and the plotline and I'm a CCS fanfiction author so, I plan on giving poor old Yue a rest (though you know who will NEVER be in one of my fanfics :) ). Well. Animefreak Chronicles over, we can step into chapter 11. Oh, yeah, the characters are not mine. Enjoy!! 

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Sakura woke up in the middle of the night. She had this undeniable feeling, a feeling she knew so well. Something was up. But everything seemed so normal! Kero was asleep in his drawer, so was Tomoyo on the sleeping bag on the floor. Everything was extremely quiet, peaceful, but still that feeling tugged at the corner of her mind. Had she been about to have another vision when she'd woken up? It was like a faint presence around her. 

And she was sure she'd heard someone say something to her just as she was waking up. Sakura, forgive me. She couldn't quite place the voice, though it seemed familiar, warm. Had it been a dream? The voice still echoed in her mind, as if demanding to be recognized. What was this? Such awkwardness, such tension...though everything was in place. She looked around her one more time. Kero in his drawer, Tomoyo in her sleeping bag, Syaoran in Touya's... 

A wave of horror washed over her. Sakura, forgive me. How could she not know it had been him? She bolted upright so violently she startled her temporary roommates. Tomoyo sat up, rubbing her eyes and Kero opened the drawer. Sakura was caught in the tangled mess her sheets had become throughout the night, struggling against it to get up. She fell down as she did it, worrying Kero and Tomoyo. She crawled out of the room and dashed to Touya's, repeating a prayer in her mind over and over again. Let him be okay, let him be okay, let him be okay. Kero flew over to the other room as if he was powered by a rocket engine when he heard the horrified cry from his Mistress. 

A horrible image laid before their eyes. A desperate Sakura thrown on the floor by the bed, painfully clutching to the still warm sheets Syaoran had been lying on minutes ago, screaming at the top of her lungs. Tomoyo ran to her, kneeling beside her devastated friend squeezing her shoulders reassuringly. His pendant lay on the nightstand, as if confirming their worst fear of all. They had indeed taken him away. Kero signaled to Tomoyo to help her up and get her out of this room as soon as possible. She was mumbling unintelligible words through her tears. Tomoyo had to literally drag her limp body out of the room and onto the bed. She went downstairs to get her some tea to calm her nerves, while Kero stayed back to watch over her. Kami forbid they had accomplished their objective: drive Sakura insane. This was very low, indeed and he understood perfectly that Sakura was acting like that. But she also had to be strong to try and get him back, unharmed. He didn't want to know what would happen if they got to him too late. 

It was three in the afternoon and Sakura hadn't pronounced a single word ever since she discovered Syaoran gone. Taken away, kidnapped, whatever this was called. She only sat on the bed, swinging back and forth, eyes wide open fixed on a spot on the wall. Damn monster, Kero thought. She was a sorry image to witness, and only for that this man deserved the most horrible of deaths. 

Sakura reeled, sitting on her bed. She really was in the verge of insanity this time. It wasn't only the fact that he'd been kidnapped, but her vision...if she didn't go after him soon, it would come true. But she had to recover from the shock if she ever wanted to rescue him. How was she supposed to do that? How could she live with herself knowing that the enemy had taken Syaoran away from under her very nose, without her noticing it? Where had they taken him? Where was she going to begin looking for him? The spell he had put on the two of them had been broken, for she tried time and time again to find him without success. 

"Kero" she called weakly. 

"Yes? Sakura, yes?" he said worriedly, darting to where she was in a flash. 

"Where do we start looking for him?" 

***** 

The door to Syaoran's apartment was open, but Kero stopped her from going in. 

"Remember this place is sealed" he told her. 

"And what am I supposed to do?" 

"You have his pendant on you, right? Use it" 

Right. She remembered she'd asked him once about the way this strange pendant of his worked, and he said that it would only obey him, as to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. Jokingly, she had asked him if she could ever call it forth, and he had strangely laughed, and told her that if she was ever planning on killing him with it then no. And that was all she knew about it. She clenched the black pendant in her fist, her eyes closed to concentrate on a desperate prayer. Please help me. You're my only hope. Please help me. 

It started getting warmer, and for a fraction of a fraction of a second she could almost feel like he was there by her side. It's working. Grateful tears streamed down her cheeks...thank you...Syaoran. 

Sword in hand she entered the apartment. Everything seemed exactly like the last time she'd been there, only...quieter. The kind of false peace there always is before disaster strikes. Sakura grinned bitterly at the irony. Nothing could be worse than what had already happened, for she would rather die than witness her vision come true. Even Tomoyo, who was following Sakura and Kero closely and taping everything could feel something was wrong. This was not a good place for them to be at. 

"Do you know where the brat keeps it?" 

"I have no idea, Kero" 

"I thought that after all these years of friendship you'd know where he keeps his stuff!" 

"Give me a break! I'm just a friend, not his wife!" Sakura's brain had just caught up with her words. His wife. She didn't even have the chance to tell him how she felt about him. She felt tears sting her eyes, but she fought them back. Bad timing to cry, Sakura. She would get him back unharmed, and when she did, she would tell him that she loved him. And that was it. 

"Sakura, watch out!" Kero screamed from the terrace door. A shadow, very much like the one she and Syaoran had beaten up at the park lunged at her from behind. Treacherous monster, she thought. She wasn't quite in the mood for games. She just turned around and cut it in half, faster than Kero could even approach to help her. 

"That was...amazing!" he said. 

The first time she'd met one of these shadows she was really scared, and surprised. This time she was very angry. Her friend had been taken away, she had been tormented for endless weeks with all sorts of horrible dreams, a constant presence stalking her, threats...and she couldn't find what she was looking for. She had had it, and was determined to find and liquidate this monster that had taken Syaoran away. And then be a normal seventeen years old, like she deserved. Like Tomoyo, Syaoran and she deserved. 

"The bastards know we're unprotected here. Don't leave my side, Tomoyo" she said, anger rising in her voice. Kero was surprised, but this was way better than seeing her so sad. At least now she was determined to solve this problem. That's why she was the Card Captor after all! 

Sakura easily destroyed two more shadows on her way to the study room, which was at the end of the corridor. She knew that what she was looking for was bound to be in there. She went in, careful to look at both her sides before she freely started to search. Tomoyo helped her, emptying the cupboard by the window. 

"Li's going to kill us when he returns and sees we've made this mess" Tomoyo laughed. Sakura turned to her and smiled genuinely for the first time in hours. She appreciated a lot that her friends were so confident that she would return everything to normal. She could feel that confidence rub off on her. She continued looking through his drawers, looking for that one thing she hoped could help her find him. She smiled to herself at what she found in those drawers. School exams, sketches, books, what you'd expect to find in a normal boy's study room. A normal boy who owned a study room, that was, she chuckled. She always made fun of the fact that he was rich and spoiled and told him that might be the reason why Kero called him a brat, and he always answered that an insult from a stuffed toy could never have any effect on a guy like him. Tomoyo had found something inside the cupboard that had perked her attention, and had taken it in her hands to check it out. 

Sakura found nothing in those drawers, nothing she could use at least, and moved to a closet to her left handside. She opened it slowly, afraid there might be something unfriendly inside. Bingo! There were a thousand neatly arranged (oh, surprise, she thought at the sight) magical objects, amongst whose she found exactly what she was looking for. His rashinban. She didn't even know if it would obey her commands, but she had to try. She turned to Tomoyo, who held a pack of envelopes tied together with a green ribbon. 

"What's that?" she asked her. Sakura had noticed that Tomoyo had stopped looking a while ago, but she had quickly dismissed to set her attention onto more important things. 

"Look for yourself" Tomoyo smiled, holding them out to her. 

Sakura gave her a funny look and untied the knot. She unnoticingly counted them. Sixteen. These were letters, letters without a mailing address. Could they have been sent to him? She suddenly felt like she was intruding on his privacy, and began tying them up together again. 

"This is his mail. We can't go through it" 

"It's not mail. Please, give it a look. I'm sure he would have wanted you to see it" 

"Did you already open these?" 

"No need to. I think I've seen this before. Go on" 

Truth be told, her curiosity was starting to arise. Kero flew over to Tomoyo, readying himself to see the look on Sakura's face when she found out what was in those envelopes. Sakura slowly picked one and opened it. Dear Sakura? she red in shock. Those letters were for her? She kept on reading, her lovely eyes going wider and wider as she read on and on. No way this could be true. She looked up at Tomoyo, who had a pleasant smile plastered to her face. She opened another one. 

"Tomoyo..." 

"That's right, Sakura, I knew about it. This is how I found out, actually. I had suspicions but, one afternoon I ran into him at the park and knocked all his stuff down. When I got home I realized I had something that wasn't mine" she said, pointing to the letters on Sakura's trembling hands "They had no identification or anything so I opened them...next day I gave them back, and he took them...but didn't admit to anything. He thought maybe I hadn't seen them, so he wouldn't worry. Until a few days ago" 

"A few days ago..." 

"He admitted to what's written in those letters" 

She looked down at his perfect handwriting on those letters. All those letters were for her. Everything she'd ever thought about him was perfectly mirrored there...he loved her all along and she never knew about it!! 

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Awwwwww! Has this never happened to you? As in, you find something out when it's too late to take action, like...you receive a letter from a really hard crush where it says he loves you back, but you know now he's on a plane to Hong Kong? (guess who THAT happened to) And he's not coming back? Well, at least our adorable heroine has the chance to get her love back. Do you think this new information will give her confidence a boost? Maybe make her try harder on finding the evil what's his face and beating him? Will she arrive on time? Ohh, I love suspense!   
Please continue on reading...I'm working on making this as interesting as possible. Oh, and for that one person who asked me...I started writing chapter 10 on sunday morning, and I was going to post it on monday afternoon, but remember I re wrote the whole chapter? That was done at about 11pm here and that is tuesday in some places, so it looks like I published it on tuesday when it was actually on monday...A little complicated, I know...thanks for reading everyone!!   



	12. Walking after you

ch12.html Hello everyone!! I finally found out how to turn off this highly annoying feature in my word processor, where a rather ugly red line appears underneath every word I misspell...it even underlines the sentences that are too long! I hate it. It's madness when I have to type in my language because everything is a mistake. Then the document is all red. Not actually pretty.   
So, this is really chapter 12. I can't believe I've gotten to chapter 12. This has been a really fun story to write (Soul Hunter's on TV right now!), I've liked it very much so far. I really have nothing to say right now, before I start this new chapter, so I'm just going to say that these characters are just borrowed from someone way smarter and funnier than me, and go on with chapter 12. Hope you enjoy! 

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Now Sakura knew she couldn't give up. That had been all it had taken to return all the lost hope and joy to her heart. She was confident now that she would get him back, she had to, to let him know that she loved him just as much as he did. Alas, she would show him. She would bring him home alive as a proof of it. 

As much as he disliked the brat, it was obvious Sakura was madly in love with him. It only took one look into her eyes at that moment to realize he meant everything to her. He had unknowingly returned the smile to those adorable lips, and if he could do that he deserved his approval. His approval of the relationship that would probably blossom between them once she'd rescued him. Because now he could feel the strength surround her. She was really focused on this mission, she would rescue him at any cost. Love is a wonderful thing, Kero thought a little sad. But hey. If he made her happy he deserved her. If he ever made her cry, he would assume his original form and tear him apart. He grinned to himself in satisfaction. He was her guardian after all!!   


Penguin Park was a very scary place at nighttime. even ghosts could be lurking around. For the first time in her life, Kinomoto Sakura would ignore everything and focus on the only important thought on her mind right then: find the monster and eliminate him. It had been about twenty four hours since Syaoran had disappeared, and time was running out. Her vision... 

She sat on the floor by the swings, with Syaoran's magical tool in her hands. The pendant that now hung around her throat had kindly obeyed her command at a really significant time, but she couldn't expect the same thing from the rashinban. This was a tool she knew nothing about. She had only seen him use it to locate Clow Cards. She didn't know if it could pick up Syaoran's life energy, the one that he had tightly connected with hers...that bond had vanished from the moment he had been taken away. She hadn't noted any difference right after he'd put the spell on them, but now, with the spell broken, she felt empty, cold, incomplete...she had gotten so used to him. Kero knew nothing about the rashinban either. Only that it took a lot of magic skill to make it work. 

Sakura closed her eyes, the only sound they could all hear was the dull buzz from Tomoyo's video camera. She focused hard on the board before her. I know you know I'm not your master. But I need your help. Please, give me something. Give me a clue. You are my last resource... 

The board just didn't react. Half an hour later Sakura couldn't hold back the frustrated tears that slid down her cheeks. This was no good. How was she supposed to find a way to the monster if this thing wouldn't help her? She so desperately needed to save him...to get to him before anything horrible happened. Suddenly the board shot a strong beam of light towards the darkest part of the park. Thank you, she thought, tucking the board back into the pocket of her winter coat. She didn't wait a second to run in the direction the board had indicated her. 

"Sakura, wait for me!" Kero said flying full speed after her. 

***** 

Sakura gasped in surprise and fear. None of them could believe their eyes. Before them was what couldn't be described as anything else but a black hole. 

"Was this...is this where...where we're..." she stammered, feeling her skin crawl. 

"Yes" Kero stated, amazed. All those years living with Clow Reed and he never even heard of such thing "That's where we're headed" 

Sakura took a deep breath, and a step forward. Suddenly, she turned around to Tomoyo, and took both her hands in hers. 

"I want you to stay here" she stated. 

"You can't ask me that!" Tomoyo said, fear rising in her voice. Sakura smiled sweetly at her, not willing to give in on this one. 

"This will be dangerous, Tomoyo" she started "I don't think a tape is worth risking your life" 

"I don't want to go because of a stupid tape!" her voice was louder now, as terrified tears streamed down her pale cheeks "What if there was anything I could help you with?" 

"This we're going up against, is a very dangerous person. What he could well do is use you to blackmail me into doing something for him. Remember I saw him with my cards. I don't want anything to happen to you, Tomoyo. I couldn't...I couldn't lose you too" she near whispered. 

"Well, Sakura, I will go even if it's to act as a shield to stop a blow at you. I will go with you no matter what, because I...I couldn't stay safely here when I know you're putting your life on the line out there! I will go with you!!" 

And she held her, crying. Sakura couldn't discuss with her anymore. She turned to Kero. 

"It's time to go" he stated, almost solemnly. 

"Kero..." 

"I'm your guardian, Sakura. I don't want you to start another discussion" he said, arms crossed across his little chest. 

"Thank you guys" she said, fear present in her voice as she stuffed Kero in her pocket, and turned to the portal before them "Let's go" 

***** 

Sakura regained consciousness in a snow covered field. The snow was coming down so hard she couldn't see anything before her. She turned around everywhere, desperately looking for her two friends. The last thing she remembered was entering the portal hand in hand with Tomoyo...the intense nausea that had followed, and then everything going black... 

Tomoyo found her by chance, and clutched her hand hard as not to lose her again. The storm was increasing in intensity as the seconds went by, not allowing them to even talk to each other. The only contact they could have was their hands tightly clasped together. She felt her pocket and sighed in relief when she noticed the small bulge that was Kero. He was probably passed out. She needed to find a shelter, and quick, before they froze to death. A while after she managed to spot a cave nearby and literally dragged Tomoyo inside. It was freezing, and humid, but it was probably the only shelter from the storm in miles. That bastard wanted to wear them out before they could meet. 

"What is this place, Sakura?" 

"I know as much as you do" she answered to her friend in a near whisper, taking an unconscious Kero out of her pocket "I'm worried about Kero, though. He won't wake up" 

"He'll be fine...probably just had a really bad...trip" Tomoyo said softly, for lack of a better term. 

In that very moment Kero started to wake up. 

"Kero!" 

"Please, Sakura, use the Firey Card...I'm freezing!!" 

Sakura nodded and did as he asked her, instant relief appearing on her friends' face. She sighed, feeling relieved that they were all together. Not all but...working on it, she thought sadly. 

"Kero...any idea what this place is?" 

"No, not at all" he said, rubbing his hands near the little fire Sakura had magically created. 

"We can't investigate until this storm is over" 

"I'm so sleepy" Tomoyo yawned. 

Sakura was very tired too, but she could never sleep in a situation like this. Kero however decided to get some rest on her lap, and she helped him by absently stroking him. She grabbed Syaoran's pendant that hung around her throat. Just a little more, my love. I'll soon get to you. Even though she was sure they were really close, she still couldn't feel him. The spell had definitely been broken. 

She decided to do another reading while she was there...it couldn't harm her. With Kero still on her lap, she whispered the words of the spell, and laid the nine cards. What the future withhold for her? 

Change. So what she felt was really true...they were in a completely different world. She had thought so from the minute they had arrived there, but now she knew for sure. Great. Cloud, Dark. Apparently this weather wasn't going to improve. She sighed discouragedly...she didn't like the idea of putting Tomoyo through all of this crap. Illusion, dream...sword! Her beloved Syaoran was alive, but he was being kept unconscious. He had fallen into their deadly trap. A small grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. It was like her lost soul had returned to her body. She sighed, and turned the next two cards. Mirror and power. Mirror again? But what was Power doing here? If Mirror and power were together and Syaoran had been right, then this meant that she had a chance on beating him. For if he was her equal, she would be just as powerful. Her grin widened considerably as hope rose in her heart. But it suddenly turned into a disquiet frown. Flower. Big surprise there, she thought sarcastically. She was indeed next in line. 

***** 

The storm had receded when Kero and Tomoyo woke up. Sakura was silently watching over them, as if was her turn to protect them. She hadn't slept for a second...she didn't even know what time it was. 

"Hello" she greeted them with a smile "The storm is over, I think" she pointed out. 

"Then we should probably take advantage of that and move on" Kero said quickly. 

"What if we don't find another shelter ahead?" Sakura said, thoughtfully "If this storm starts again we'll be as good as dead" 

"We have to, Sakura" 

"Believe me, I want to more than the two of you maybe, but I don't...I don't want to risk your lives. What kind of a friend am I if I..." 

Tomoyo had crawled next to her and taken her hand in hers. 

"You have to stop worrying about us. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself, Sakura. All you need to worry is about getting Syaoran, beating that monster and go back some safe and sound. I know we will. Now let's get out there. The sooner we get to where we want to go, the sooner we get back home" 

Sakura smiled at her and got up to go. Once outside, she pulled out Syaoran's rashinban one more time. She closed her eyes. Please, help me again. Just once more, we're just so close...to... 

She didn't even finish the thought. The beam of light shot this time to the north, where the sky was at it's darkest. Sakura shivered, and silently thanked Kami the board had decided to help her, before stuffing it back into her pocket and turning around to look at her two awe struck friends. 

"That's where we're headed you guys" she said "Let's go" 

They walked for what seemed hours, completely unaware of the time. Tomoyo was the first one to stop. 

"What's the matter? Are you okay?" 

She couldn't speak because of the shock. Instead, she pointed her finger to a spot behind Sakura, making her turn around. Unbelievable! It was a huge castle, all black, right there in the middle of nowhere. No wonder it was getting colder...they were about to invade his domain! 

Sakura felt like her legs would soon give up because of the excessive fatigue. But she refused to rest at this time, when they were so close to their goal. The more she walked, the more tired she got. She turned around to Kero and Tomoyo, who looked every bit as tired as she did. She couldn't do this anymore. Seemed like the monster had won this battle, and she was going to give up for now. Don't pass out, Sakura, she told herself again and again. Don't pass out! 

But she couldn't do anything to fight this back. She turned around again, and saw Kero collapse on top of an already fainted Tomoyo. Don't pass out! 

Bright spots flashed in front of her eyes. Oh, my God. 

And she passed out. 

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Well, guys, this wasn't a very long chapter, I know, but I'm feeling tired tonight...I promise next one's going to be more interesting...if I said everything I had in mind all at once I think this story would only last like three chapters hehehehe. So I have to make chapters like this, you know, somehow fill out the holes...I hope you guys have a great night, and thanks everyone for the reviews...keep them coming please? Thank you!!   



	13. Big Me

ch13.html Hola niños!! It's 10.15 am and I'm having a cup of tea because I'VE RUN OUT OF (on?) COFFEE!! Which could qualify as a tragedy, but oh well. I apologize to everybody who was offended in one way or another by my little editorial more like nonsense I wrote about anime the other day, please don't get me wrong, I adore anime, my dream is someday write my own and have it turned into a series by one of those wonderful animation studios in Japan, I just think gay angels on children's series are far more destructive than displaying a simple kiss (which they hardly ever do). If anything about those series could be taken seriously...I think children are smarter than we are most of the time. I had forgotten Van Fanel from Escaflowne was also a sort of angel. But surprisingly, he's not gay at all! I think someone wrote me and told me she'd take him over Yue, and I say, who wouldn't!! Well, I apologize anyway and I hope we're all still friends (smiles). The characters you're going to read about aren't mine. Maybe some day anime characters will be mine, but that'll be the day. In the meantime, I borrow. Thank you for your attention. 

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What was this place? She was so cold, and everything was so dark...what had happened? Last thing she remembered was the bright spots, the intense fatigue, and she had fainted. In the darkness she couldn't know whether her friends were anywhere nearby or not. 

"Kero? Tomoyo?" she called quietly. 

"We're here" came Tomoyo's soft reply "Kero is still unconscious...he's with me" 

"Where are we?" 

"It's so dark...I don't know. Do you think we were dragged inside the...the..." 

"The castle? Probably. I'm sure they did something to us back there...this has been like, so easy for them. Dammit" 

"Sakura, let's try to get out of here" Tomoyo asked, her voice trembling. 

"Yeah, this place gives me the creeps too" Sakura reached into the collar of her sweater for her key, and her fingers brushed against Syaoran's pendant. She felt tears burn her eyes, but she fought them back. She'd rescue him soon, and then she would tell him what she didn't dare all this time. All he had to do was hang on a bit longer. "Glow Card, release and dispel!" 

She could see now Tomoyo's frightened face, Kero sleeping in her arms, and the room they were in. She felt a cold shiver down her spine. Just like in her dream, the walls were made of black crystals. She felt dangerously close to that room she'd been in, in her dreams. Tomoyo wiped the tears that inadvertently ran down her cheeks. 

"We'll get to him on time, Sakura" she said reassuringly "Let's just get moving" 

She smiled at her friend and started walking towards a door that she'd spotted just ahead of where they were. Kero then woke up. 

"Where are we? What is this?" 

"Looks like we're about to find out" Sakura said, pointing her finger ahead of them. A light at the end of the corridor. She started walking, followed closely by her two friends. 

Only an empty room, lit by dozens of torches. Sakura could feel the anxiety rise on her chest. The miserable bastard was still trying to drive her crazy. He was probably having the time of his life with her. So far, she had fallen into every trap he'd set for her. He always caught her off guard, no matter how hard she tried to always be alert. First it had been that dream, and that shadow that had scared her to death. Then it had been the attack at Penguin Park. The presence that never left her side, the awful dream, Syaoran's disappearance, the attack in Syaoran's apartment...and finally the storm, and her passing out only to wake up in that horrible place where she was currently lost. She should have seen all of those things coming, but somehow she didn't. 

"It's hot in here" Tomoyo pointed out. 

"Like hell it is!!" Kero shouted. Sakura quickly clasped a hand against his little mouth. 

"If you scream like this someone's going to come and they will kill us all" she hissed, surprising both her friends. They've never seen her so tense, so upset before. Alas, she never even used that kind of language! 

Sakura had lost count of how many rooms they had walked through, and to all of her nervousness and anxiety a deep anger was adding up. She was being played with yet again, and she felt like such a fool for letting him do it. She had had it, so she stopped walking. 

"If you want me, then get me already. Stop this stupid little game of yours! Come out and fight me!" she exploded in exasperation. Tomoyo and Kero could only stare at her, wide eyed. It was like she'd completely grown up in the last few hours, like she wasn't just a teenager anymore. 

No answer. Sakura stomped her feet in rage, not knowing what else to do. It was so incredibly frustrating to have to do this. And her time was running out. No, she had to stop thinking that way. She had to believe in herself, in her skill, in order to beat this monster and get her Syaoran back. Or else... 

"Sakura!" Tomoyo snapped her out of her meditation with an anguished cry. 

She turned her head around to see a door that wasn't there before. He heard me, she thought, grinning determinedly. Party time. 

***** 

Kinomoto Sakura couldn't believe her eyes. This was the room from her dream. Kero and Tomoyo didn't need her to tell them, for the look in her eyes spoke by itself. She looked at herself. She was wearing her winter clothes, the same she'd left Tomoeda District with. Weird. 

"You stay there, Tomoyo. Where's your...camera?" she asked with a grin. 

"It got lost during the trip" she clicked her tongue in frustration. 

Sakura chuckled, amazed at how that could help her in such a stressful moment. She took a few steps forward, and looked up. The storm had definitely over, since the moon shone through the crystal ceiling. Yes, it was the exact same room. She reached into her pocket...her cards were there. She looked around, starting to feel the unfamiliar kind of cold she remembered so well from her dream. It wasn't so much of a physical cold but...an evil one, one that chilled you all the way to the bone. It felt more like a mild electric shock. She grinned again, taking a few more steps forward. Through the dim light she could spot the base of the throne. 

"I'm here, already" she said calmly, even though she was everything but. 

"I know" he answered in a deep tone "And might I add, Card Captor Sakura, that you are a lot more beautiful in person" She winced at that, suddenly out of words 

"Who are you?" she hissed angrily. 

"Well, I'm feeling a little hurt that you don't know yet, but, I suppose it can't harm me to tell you" he said, pouting slightly. 

"Please do" she said, venom dripping from her voice. 

"My name is Goran, the wizard. But since we're on a first name basis..." 

***** 

"I must admit you're brave, and skilled. You've managed to come this far! I must admit my little world is...not very friendly to strangers. No wonder the Little Wolf is so much in love with you" 

"What have you done with him?" 

"He's much more comfortable than you right now. Don't worry about him" 

"I want to see him" 

"You will...when the right time comes. Patience is not one of your many virtues as I can see, little Cherry Blossom" 

She took one more step forward, and gasped at the sight of her opponent. He was breathtakingly beautiful. She could take in everything clearly now, as from her dream she could only remember his dark hair, and his deep blue eyes. 

"Afraid of me? You shouldn't" the glass in his hand flashed as the moonlight hit it, catching Sakura's eye. There was that small silver tray by him, the one that was supposed to hold her cards "I can see you also have a prodigious memory, Sakura" he smiled, noticing what she was doing. 

"I want to know what you're up to. Why you've been after me all of this time. If I came all the way down here, I deserve to know" 

"You're absolutely right, dear Sakura" he answered sweetly "I'll answer your questions...but you need to come a little closer" he grinned evilly, beckoning her with his fingers. 

"Sakura, don't!" Kero shouted and tried to fly over to her, but an invisible wall of sorts stopped him and its force whacked him against Tomoyo. 

She had heard Kero. She was in control of herself, but she had to know. She needed to find out what this man was up to. She climbed the stairs, just like in her dream, and peeked a look at the tray. There they were!! The Cards!! She clasped a hand against her pocket, only to find out her cards were indeed there. She took several steps away from him, back to the spot she was before. 

"What are you?" she asked in shock. 

"Oh, Sakura, don't tell me you haven't figured it out yet?" he pouted again, pushing his long bangs away from his face "Well, doesn't matter. I'll tell you a little story first" 

Sakura glared at him. He was so irritating. She wanted her questions answered and all he did was beat around the bush, skirt around her. He was playing with her and she hated it, but right now she had to put up with it, for he held the most precious thing in her life in his filthy hands. She sighed impatiently. 

"I wonder if you know why I came into your life. Why I sent you those dreams" 

"I don't" she answered dryly. 

"Oh, Sakura, be nice!" he said, objecting to her tone "Or do I have to pressure you a little?" 

He grinned at the sudden terror in her eyes. He could almost savor it. This was going to be a lot more fun than he expected. 

"Good girl" he said, understanding the meaning of her silence "I would have thought that stuffed animal of yours would have helped you figure my little plan out. It's really simple, you know" 

"I beg to differ" she mumbled. 

"Oh, I know that. I'm not underestimating you in any way, Sakura. I still think you're amazing. But you failed to see the simplest details. Why did you have that dream, Sakura?" 

"You tell me" she said, blushing at the realization that someone else had seen that dream. 

"Oh, don't be embarrassed my little Cherry Blossom" he smiled yet again "That was only a dream. You're both human, and very good looking...it was only natural that you felt attracted towards each other. I just used what was in your minds to create that dream" 

Sakura's jaw dropped. That couldn't be true! So that dream they had shared was actually a product of their own desires? She had had those thoughts without even knowing? 

"After much observing you two, I discovered something important. You are each other's weakness! If I messed with one of you, the other would be crushed as well" 

"That's so...low" 

"I knew neither of you would be able to confess the other your feelings, and that only made it easier for me. Whenever you got too close, I would send one of my minions to break you apart. They are very strong, but I knew you would eliminate them. They were only a distraction" 

Sakura was shivering in rage. Kero and Tomoyo were still held back by the invisible shield, but were able to hear the whole thing in wonder. This was Sakura's equal? 

"But" he continued, with an innocent expression on his face "I was getting impatient. I so wanted to meet you. And it was so disappointing that you didn't know about me! The idea of the reading was a really good one. I thought I would be busted after that one. You did a great job, but failed to identify the meaning of that last card. What was it? The Mirror Card?" 

As if you didn't know, Sakura thought. Damn this guy. He was making her feel like an idiot again. Would he ever finish with that story? 

"That kid of yours is really ingenious. He suggested a meaning that doesn't even come close to what the truth is, but it's something I wouldn't have thought of. Your equal!" 

Sakura froze in the spot she was standing. He then wasn't...her equal? What was he then? Could things get any worse? Was this guy unbeatable? 

"What is the truth, you want to know? Oh, Sakura! I could never get enough of that adorable face of yours. Such surprise, such anticipation" 

"Please" 

"I'll tell you, Sakura" he said, as he snapped his fingers "I am the Card Captor"   


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YOU didn't see that one coming, huh? What's that all about? Is there another Card Captor besides Sakura? Are there really two sent of cards, or is it another trick by Goran the wizard? My editor just pointed out something on this story, about our villain's name. Did you know there's a tennis player with that name? I've just seen a picture of him, provided by my ever tennisfreak friend, and I've gotta say, what-a-hunk. Matter of fact, this character was named after an ex boyfriend of mine, whose parents were yugoslavian (hence the weirdness of the name) and I have to say I'm not at all like Sakura...I would like to see HIS head on a silver platter. I hope you enjoyed this chapter...next will be coming soon!   



	14. Warm Machine

ch14.html Good evening everyone! My spirits are always higher after I bake. That's supposed to be a joke, but it has some truth in it. I remember when I went to cooking school (three semesters ladies and gentlemen, out of four. And the story behind my dropping out...I'll tell you at another time) I used to hate most things, probably because my teacher was a bastard who had this fixation with me, I think all that time he wanted to make me cry but instead I got really angry, but well, on third semester things changed a lot, I got a much younger teacher who was really kind to me, he really loved teaching and I learned a lot from him...well anyway, I remember I used to enjoy the baking classes with him, we always made a hell of a mess and everyone had to eat our crap, but it was a lot of fun. Right now I've gotten a lot better at it, I discovered the advantages of following the recipe (hehehee) and now, every time I feel bored or nervous or angry or anything, I bake something. I'm lucky I'm skinny, but I think the rest of my family is regretting having sent me to cooking school...I also feel better after I smoke, but I'm not talking about it given the fact that kids are reading this, remember everyone, smoking is bad, I do it because...well, I'm just stupid. I don't own these characters. On to the story!! 

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"The Master of the Cards? That's not possible!!" 

"You saw my set of cards, right?" 

"Those are my cards" she growled. 

"Oh, don't get mad at me! I'm really the Master of those cards!" he shrugged helplessly. 

Sakura called her wand forth. She wasn't going to take any more crap. 

"Tell me what you want right now!" she mouthed angrily 

"Calm down, dear Sakura. Remember I've got something you want!" 

"Blackmail" she hissed with a sarcastic grin "Why doesn't it surprise me?" 

"It's not blackmail, my dear. I couldn't blackmail you with him" 

"What?" 

He heaved a sigh through a sly grin, and beckoned a servant that was behind him. Sakura felt as if a fist was squeezing her heart when she saw he carried the dreadful tray. Please, don't tell me this is true. Please, let me be dreaming. 

"Do you want to see what's under the lid, darling?" 

"You didn't" she said, through her horrified tears. 

"Come and see for yourself" he said, laying the tray on the floor, and dismissing the servant with a nod. 

Sakura shook her head in abject horror. Now she really felt like sanity was finally leaving her. She didn't want to verify her suspicions with her own eyes, because she knew that the minute she saw that would be her last. She just didn't want to carry on without him. 

"You love him that much, huh? It's a shame" 

"What are you talking about?" she said in a low, emotionless voice. 

"You are a very powerful sorceress, beautiful Sakura. You deserve the very best in your life, and the Little Wolf...well, he could hardly fulfill that description" he said, smiling politely "On the other hand, there's...me" 

Sakura's eyes went wide in disbelief. That's what he wanted her for? 

"You thought I wanted you dead. That beauty would be wasted in the depths of hell" he smiled, getting up from the throne and walking down the stairs. She tried to back down but he forcefully grabbed her arm. 

"Let go" she growled. 

"Oh, darling. You don't get to boss me around here!" he answered sweetly. 

Even though the expression on his face was serene, he was squeezing her arm so hard she thought her bones would shatter any minute. 

As if he could read her thoughts, he leaned close to her "And this is not even a figment of the pain you're going to go through if we don't reach an agreement, dear Sakura" he whispered. She had to bite her lip to refrain herself from screaming. 

Suddenly, he let go of her, violently dropping her to the floor. 

"I need your powers, little Cherry Blossom. Like you, I have ambitions. Clow Reed confined me to this lost dimension hundreds of hears ago. It's really awful in here, you know? I don't grow older, I'm always cold...I can't even remember what the sunshine is supposed to feel like! Everything because I mastered his art...because I became his equal. In all those years as his apprentice I had to learn something right?" 

"His...apprentice?" 

"Yes, exactly. I helped him through every step of his creation. Every Clow Card" he laughed bitterly "I secretly created my own set of cards. I so wanted to be like him, dear Sakura. To have his knowledge and his power...his prestige! I would be respected if I defeated the great Clow Reed. I would even be the master of both sets of Cards! The most powerful sorcerer in the world!" 

Sakura was astonished. He was three hundred years old? He owned a set of cards of his own? How was she ever going to beat this guy? 

"But I have to admit he was a very clever man. Witty. He found out what I had done and what my plans were way before I could figure out the best way of beating him. And he threw me in here. After that, I suppose he got lonely and created the stuffed animal and that other creature. I knew another person had been designed the new Card Captor, and my first thought was to destroy him. But then I found out it was you...and how could I destroy such a precious thing? This is the reason why I still have respect for Clow Reed. He was careful enough to pick you as the Card Captor so that I wouldn't kill you" 

"What are you saying to me?" she asked, wide eyed. 

"Clow Reed knew that you were going to release those cards at the moment you did. He knew you were the one long before you were born. He knew you would meet Li Syaoran. He knew you would fall in love with him...he knew that once those cards were released I would be a step closer to going back to where I belong. I don't know if he set this as a test for you...but does that matter?" 

"My power is what's going to send you back to the world?" 

"Exactly" 

"So what is it that you want me to do?" 

"Well, dearest Sakura" he said with the sweetest of smiles on his lovely face "I want you to be my wife" 

***** 

Sakura would have fallen down if she hadn't already been on the floor. Kero and Tomoyo couldn't believe their ears either. He had just proposed to her! After everything he had done to her, he was expecting her to just marry him? Now they knew he was completely crazy. 

"Are you serious?" she chuckled sarcastically, getting up. 

"Deadly" Sakura could feel the evil in him. He was the devil himself. This was going to be the hardest thing she'd ever have to do. 

"I can't believe you" she said defiantly "You're crazy!" 

"Don't push your luck, little Cherry Blossom" Goran answered, anger slightly rising in his voice. 

"What do I have to lose?" she shouted, bitterly "You've destroyed my life. So you're going to have to kill me to get my power, you...bastard!" 

"Okay, dear Sakura. If that's the way you want it. Don't say later I didn't give you a choice. Shadows, come forth!" 

Kero and Tomoyo were imprisoned by shadows that came from out of nowhere behind them. Sakura turned around to them, then back to Goran. 

"You're disgusting. This is between you and me! Leave them out of this!" 

"I don't have to play by your rules, beautiful Sakura. Get ready!" 

Sakura clutched her wand tight in her hands. As much as she got ready for this, something told her it was going to be much more than a test. Much harder than anything she'd ever fathomed. It was so simple, and she hadn't gotten it. The Mirror Card had meant that, like her, he was the Master of the Cards! 

***** 

Everything went suddenly dark. She used the Glow Card again to find herself back at the same maze of corridors she had been in before she'd met Goran, but this time... 

"He's got Tomoyo and Kero" she said, as if someone could hear her. 

"That's right! Let's play a little game!" Goran's voice seemed to echo all around her, even though he was nowhere to be seen "You find me in twenty four hours, and you'll have the girl and the toy back! Oh, and about the Li kid...well, you can have his remains. If you don't...then you marry me...and we live happily ever after!" he laughed. 

"I don't accept! Come out and fight me you coward!" 

"You don't have a choice, little Cherry Blossom!" 

And with that the voice vanished. She had only twenty four hours to find Goran's throne room again...she could be sure he would pull every kind of nasty trick to keep her from accomplishing her goal and rescuing her friends. And she didn't even know whether Syaoran was alive or...dead. She never lifted the lid. She knew she would need some kind of hope for the battle, something to keep her going, and if she found out his head was actually on that tray, she knew she would just flip out. She had to beat Goran anyway. But if he had killed Syaoran she would go join him. Nothing would matter anymore, she wouldn't be able to live with the pain and the guilt. But for now, she had to stop thinking about it, and start making the best of the time he had given her. As long as a flame of hope still burned in her heart, there was a slim chance of her succeeding. Whether Syaoran was alive or not, as gut wrenching as the thought might have been, she still owed it to Kero and Tomoyo. She would definitely give it a try, and think positively. She could win if she made an effort. 

She easily killed a couple shadows on the corridors as she walked. They were no longer a threat for her, and Goran probably knew about this. He was just distracting her, for he probably was preparing a nasty little surprise for her. Everything was eerily quiet after she'd destroyed the last shadow she'd encountered. She smiled at the irony. She would rather be surrounded by shadows than by this silence. Something was up, she had no doubt.   
  


Kinomoto Sakura thought she was ready for anything he could throw against her, but she never believed he would do this to her. This was by far the most horrible vision she could ever imagined existed. Her worst fear. 

"By Kami...what am I going to do?" she wondered out loud, trying to control her in growing fear. A ghost was something she wasn't ready to deal with, no matter how many years of training she had had as a Card Captor. And least of all a huge one who was lunging at her as she thought about all this. She quickly called Syaoran's sword forth and with one clean stroke of it she cut it in half. She sighed relieved, thinking that it had been too easy...too easy! She re established her guard just in time to block the attack from what she noted to be two ghosts instead of one. She had only divided it, and made the problem worse. She hung Syaoran's pendant back on her throat. What would she do now? 

Come on, Sakura, think. Which one of your cards could beat this? Shadow? No, it wouldn't quite work. She needed to gain some time. Mist? 

As she released the Mist Card the ghosts were momentarily taken aback. It confused them, as she thought it would. What would she do? She needed to think fast. She scrolled through every card in her mind, but none of them seemed to hold the answer to her predicament. Would she be beaten at the first attack? She couldn't allow herself that luxury. Not when three lives depended on her. The Dark Card, Sakura. She blinked. 

"What..." she asked out loud. She could have sworn she'd heard someone say that to her. Was someone there to help her? Kero? No, it hadn't been him. But she didn't have the time to stop and think about it. It was true though. The Dark Card. Alongside Light, it held the strongest power of them all. And...dark was where the ghosts lurked. Dark would swallow the ghosts whole. That was it!! 

"Dark Card!!" she called, closing her eyes as the Dark spread her wings in front of her. Even though those were ghosts, she didn't want to see them die. She squeezed her eyes as she heard the ghosts desperately howl as the Dark engulfed them. The noise was soon over, and she opened her eyes to find out she had won this assault. She was stunned when a card flew over to her. 

"The Ghost Card? He's sending his cards after me?" 

Before she could do or think anything else, the card disintegrated into black dust and then just disappeared. They couldn't stand defeat? That's what differentiated the Clow Cards from his. Goran wasn't Clow's equal at all. 

She called back Dark and Mist, wondering who that was that had helped her. She couldn't quite place the voice she'd heard, though it was a warm, gentle one. 

"Thank you" she muttered, and she walked on.   


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Well, this chapter was hard to write because, as I think I said before, I suck at fight sequences. Which means either I improve them, or I will never be able to write my own movie (imagine a movie without a fight scene. Bridges over Madison County or whatever it's name is. Tell me please if you've even been more bored). Anyway.   
Whose voice was it that Sakura heard? It's obviously a friend...will she get to Goran's throne room in time to rescue her friends? And will the Wizard keep his word and set them free if she was the winner? I'll make sure to write answers for all of those questions.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	15. Misery

ch15.html Hello hello!! It's raining, I usually like rain because I just slack off and sleep all afternoon, but the New Band Festival starts today! And I've got tickets, and it's outdoors, and I hate it because I get my clothes all muddy, not mentioning I am a cold magnet. Meaning? If three drops of water fall off the sky and they touch me, I will automatically get bronchitis, at the very least. Ahhh, but I'll only be young once. This is the age when I'm going to be able to survive a pneumonia, not in 30 years from now so, I'll just take my chances. Well, I have to say I'm not the happiest with my last 2 chapters, but it will get more interesting...I've even received a really great suggestion that would add a nice twist to this story and would make it last a tad longer. I'll think about taking it. It's like, so dark and it's only 5 pm!! I'll just wait until it's time to go and maybe, write something interesting here...   
Again, I don't own these characters, never have, never will...okay, let's just write now.   


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Shadow attacks had become more frequent than ever, not allowing Sakura any time to rest. She was very tired now, but she would die before quitting. She rubbed her tired eyes and looked up at Glow, who appeared to be very tired as well. 

"I'm very sorry I have to put you through this" she grinned sadly at the Glow Card "I'm tired too. But I really need you...to help me. We can't give up now" 

The Glow seemed to become even brighter after Sakura's little speech. 

"Thank you" she whispered. 

Another shadow attacked from around a corner, and she destroyed it just as easily as she had before. This was ridiculous. It was starting to feel like a video game, or something really stupid like that. She reckoned it had been about an hour and a half since she'd last heard from him...or more...time passed really fast in here. Or could it be that she was so worried about the deadline that it seemed like an eternity since she'd been thrown into this maze. 

Sakura felt something coming her way. Another Card? What could he be up to now? She could now actually hear it. It sounded like a million beasts were running her way. What the hell kind of card was that? The noise was really unnerving, as it got louder and louder, and Sakura didn't know what she would be up against now. It would probably be tougher than the card she had destroyed a while ago. She was beginning to become familiar with Goran's ways, she recognized with a bitter grin. She tightened the grip on her wand, thinking of how he must have been enjoying her little predicament. Damn him. 

The sound had become unbearably loud by the time Sakura got a glimpse of what was making it. It was a huge monster, a sort of giant bull. Its wiry black hair stood up from his back, eyes flashing in anger. It had two enormous horns that looked as if made of iron, and strong claws that looked perfectly able to rip her apart with one single blow. She felt a void in her stomach as the weird bull like thing locked eyes with her.   


She started calling the Sword Card but she didn't even have the time for that, as the beast struck her in the blink of an eye and sent her flying against a wall. Sakura hit her head hard, and fought back the feeling of dizziness to get on her feet before that animal killed her. She managed to dodge another attack closely, but one of the horns cut cleanly through her thick winter coat and sliced her arm. She let out a pained cry and clamped a hand to the open wound. She managed to call the Sword forth and just waited until the beast, too heavy to turn around that quickly, attacked her again. She wasn't able to dodge the attack this time and she was whacked against a wall one more time. This time she wasn't sure she'd be able to get up. 

"Fly!" she called, tiredly, and escaped the beast into the air. Sakura felt a chill travel down the length of her spine as she saw the strong horns dig deep into the wall. To think she would have been mercilessly nailed to the wall made her stomach turn in abject horror and shock. But wait...it was stuck now, and even if it was for a few seconds, now was her chance and this might have been her only one. She let herself drop down towards the beast, sword in hand, and with a exhausted cry she pierced it from side to side. 

The Beast Card landed on her hand, only allowing her a glance before it self destructed like the Ghost Card had. She dropped down to her knees feeling battered and exhausted. If this kept up, she would be killed in no time. Her wound throbbed now with overwhelming pain. She took off her ruined coat and dared take a peek at the cut. She immediately wished she hadn't. It was really awful looking. She would need some stitches when she got back home. If she ever did. 

Oh, she had to stop thinking like that. Goran could do anything to hurt her, but he would never break her will. She had to do this for all of her friends who were in great danger right as she sat there defeated. No, she wasn't defeated. Even if bruises and cuts covered her whole body she would go on. 

***** 

Sakura walked as quickly as her tired legs allowed her. She'd been awake for too many hours, she was cold and had a really nasty cut on her left arm, and yet she managed to destroy as many of those shadows as the despicable Goran sent her way to weaken her even more. She kept reminding herself of her friends, prisoners of the wizard, to keep herself awake. But her body screamed at her that it couldn't go on anymore. She couldn't let her guard down because monsters came out of the woodwork every thirty seconds, but she just couldn't do this anymore. Just as she had this thought she felt something else coming. Great. Just perfect. She heard an eerie wailing cry that chilled her to the very bone. 

She couldn't see anything. Her senses were extremely alert, even though she could barely stand on her own feet. Even with the help of the Glow Card, she could see nothing. She started feeling a deep fear rise inside of her, a fear she couldn't control, she didn't see coming. A fear she didn't feel in her brain, a pure, physical one. And that's when she saw it. 

It was a wraithlike woman, dressed in white robes, with snakes where her hair should have been. Her eyes were totally blank, the expression on her face reminding her of one of those ancient Greek statues she had studied at school. What was this? Somehow it wasn't totally unfamiliar. Sakura squinted her eyes in near recognition, and jumped back when the phantom woman's eyes started to glow. She didn't even have time to brace herself for what was coming, as a horrifying howl filled the air and a bright light flashed briefly. What had happened? She hadn't felt any pain or discomfort...or even fear... 

Sakura gasped when she noticed what the effect had been. Her right arm had been turned into stone! She tried unsuccessfully to move it. It was like it wasn't there. So this was her attack. She turned you into stone bit by bit, slowly killing you. And to top it all, the monster was nowhere to be seen. She heard the horrible howl again and turned around. As a result of this her left leg had been turned into stone. She remembered this monster, but she couldn't quite... 

It was obvious that it could only turn more of her into stone if she looked directly at it, so she supposed that while she remembered the way to beat this the best would be to keep her eyes closed. The monster kept wailing but it couldn't harm her as long as she kept her eyes closed. Sakura was in clear disadvantage now, her arm and leg useless, her mind unable to focus with that awful noise...what was the name of that monster!! 

Sakura drifted back to the day she remembered she'd been in that history class. The teacher wasn't even supposed to be teaching about that, but he had found this amazing book on Greek mythology and he thought he'd share it with the class instead of the same old chit chat about warriors and weapons...she thought it would be a great moment to relax in class, and apparently Syaoran, sitting behind her, did too, and tapped her lightly on the shoulder to let her know he was slipping a little piece of paper to her. She'd opened it and found a little sketch of the sensei, babbling tirelessly about winged horses, and satyrs, and nymphs, and gorgons... 

A Gorgon! That's what its name was! She remembered now that that particular monster had peaked her attention, and Syaoran had later explained her on the way home that this man called Perseus, had stumbled upon this woman monster, who had the capacity of turning everyone who looked directly at her into stone. He had beaten her by using his shield as a mirror, so that he wouldn't look directly at her, and chopping her head off. 

"Mirror!" she called forcefully. The wailing soon turned into desperate screaming, as the monster looked into her own eyes and turned into stone. With one powerful blow of her wand she destroyed the statue. She sighed as the Gorgon Card landed softly on her hand, turning then into the now familiar pile of dark dust. 

"Once again you've saved my life, Syaoran" she smiled, thankfully "Even though you're not here with me" 

***** 

Well, it's OVER!!! It took me two days to write this. It's saturday morning and I don't know why I am awake, I haven't slept at all this weekend, but well, at least this one's done. Who would ever imagine Sakura would have to deal with a gorgon? And Syaoran...he's so smart right? He didn't even know that his little story would help her someday...I bet he'll be happy when he finds out.   
But time is running out! Is Syaoran dead or alive? What does Goran have in store for our heroine? Will she be able to find the enchanted throne room in time to rescue her friends? What new and horrible monsters will Goran send after Sakura? Find out in chapter 16 (I should definitely write for TV right?)   



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